


Dramatical Murder: Untold

by RouteMinx



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: Kemonomimi, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-02-22 22:41:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 103,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2524337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RouteMinx/pseuds/RouteMinx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A retelling of the novel. How the anime could have gone with merging the routes. And pairings galore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Disappearances

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a general opinion for myself as I wasn't happy with some points of the anime's attempt to merge the routes of the game. With a flare of kemonomimi features because yes I'm one of those saps that does that and I will be attempting to work in my preferred ships into this merge of routes.
> 
> Rating will go up as the chapters go further in.

 

_…_

_You really came…_

_…I was waiting… always…_

_Hurry to me…_

_D-e-s-t-r-o-y me…_

_With your power…_

“Hello, thank you for calling. This is Junk Shop Heibon.” I greet upon answering the phone. On the other line I could hear the caller breathing heavily in hesitation to speak but then came, “There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any custom parts for S II type Allmates in your shop?”

The man barely finished his question before I was already typing away on the computer beside me to look it up and confirm with him that we had some in stock.

“Ah, is that right.” He stated slowly. “I see. Thank you very much.”

I ask him if he’d like to place an order but he suddenly sounded flustered and there was a brief pause. “Well, this may come off as very sudden, but…”

“Yes?”

“If you’re okay with it, then… When your shop closes today, could I meet you?”

And there it was. I had to hold back a sigh while the man took my silence as rejection and instantly he began to compliment my voice like that’d sooth things over. “…No, no, not at all, I’m very grateful.” I let out and took a breath, lightly tapping my pen against the desk. “Ah, by the way, sir, I just remembered one thing, would that be alright?”

“Ah, sure…”

“To continue the talk about S II type custom parts a moment ago, the new parts of that series will be arriving shortly. So, we are accepting reservations and specially introducing them only to the most loyal customers right now. Would you be interested?” The caller was silent but their breathing told me they were still on the line so I continue, “I think they will be popular products and will sell out immediately, but you would definitely be able to purchase them if you reserve now.”

“Yes, um, but…”

“Of course, because this is a special opportunity limited to special customers only, if you would like to reserve… I could do it for you as a service.” My tone lowered in the last half and I heard the man’s breath hitch instantly, “S-service?”

“Yes… a _service_.” I nod, dragging the word along my tongue suggestively. Like reeling in a fish, the caller jumped at the chance to make a reservation so politely I asked for the necessary information to be sent to the shop before setting it up. “Well then, please keep supporting our shop in the future too! Thanks!”

As soon as I hang up the phone, I let out that huge sigh I wanted to before. Although I do it knowingly, speaking to customers with ulterior motives is really annoying.

Well, if it goes well, I’m sure to sell something so it’s fine.

Your voice is so _wonderful_ , I need to meet you no matter what.

Among the people who contact the shop by phone, there are an awful lot of guys who say that. They want to meet me when all they know is my voice…

Maybe if I was a woman it’d be fine, but usually a guy wouldn’t up and ask another guy something like that. At first I could handle them, but like anyone else would, I became irritated when it kept happening. But it also became easier to entice customers to buy products.

From then on, like that phone call just now, I could make even more sales. Strangely enough though, it doesn’t happen in the actual shop. Sometimes a customer actually comes to meet me after a telephone call, but I just play it off. They all end up leaving without noticing I was the owner of that voice they love so much. Since there’s not much harm done, I just think “Well, whatever”, and leave it be.

“The manager should be back soon.” I stretch my arms out wide and place my eyes on the digital clock on the counter.

This shop provides a variety of things ranging from small expendable supplies to specialized metal parts at a bargain price, Junk Shop Heibon. I was attracted by the subtleness of the store name and started working here; I wonder how long it’s been… Anyway, it was a long time ago.

I was spacing out with my elbow on the counter when the coil on my arm rang. “…Hm? A message, huh.” A coil is something like a mobile phone, but it’s much more convenient than just that.

Phone calls, messages, payments, identification, and of course watching TV can all be done with this one device.

“Let’s see…” I open my coil and the sender of the message makes me raise a brow suspicious, “Captive Princess?”

Is it a new kind of advertisement? The adult kind, maybe.

It’ll probably continue like “Please help me, I’m troubled by my aching body”, or something if I open it.

Delete…

As I was handling my coil, something slammed into my waist. I fell from the chair and something heavy lands on my back, pulling on my long ears. Three giggling voices. The culprits had to be…

“Aoba’s opeeen!”

“Open like a book!”

“You’re so uncool!”

“…Why… you… brats!!”

The eldest son, Kio, the second son, Nao, and the eldest daughter, Mio. A group of annoying neighborhood inumimis who only come here to go on wild rampages.

“I’ve told you guys so many times, this isn’t a playground! Can’t you kids learn anything?” I snap at them but Nao raises his voice in a ridiculous claim after looking at my coil over my shoulder and the remaining two hear it and lean all over me.

I’m gonna suffocate…

“Pervy e-mail! Pervy e-mail! Aoba’s a pervert! Pervert!” Yelled Nao.

“Grown-ups are dirty!” Mio huffed.

“Nu-uh! It’s some message about buying bad stuff! ‘Cuz this shop is sketchy!” Stated Kio.

These kids…

“Sketchyyy! Sketchyyy!”

“This shop really does suck!”

I swear…

“Alright! Let’s arrest the pervy, dirty, and sketchy Aoba!”

“Let’s do it!”

“Arreeeest!”

“Get off already, you brats!!” I yell and jolt up, legs wobbling, trying to shake them off. There’s no way those kids would give up just like that. They don’t care if I say they’re childish.

“Hey, hey, that thing on top of the shelf, what’s it used for?” Nao’s attention locked on something else, gaining his siblings attention to it as well. “It’s probably a tool to beat someone up!” Snickered Kio. “Scaaary! Boys are savages!” Mio yelled yet she joined her brothers in running across the shop. I reached out to stop them but I was shocked when I looked at my coil.

At some point it had started to display a completion screen.

Oh yeah, I had a feeling I heard a strange sound from it a moment ago…

Maybe I pushed a button when the kids came in. I hope I didn’t download some strange program…

“Aaah, come on, this is horrible…” As I stand there confused, the retro bell on the front door rings. And in walked the store manager, Haga-san, who had gone out for a delivery.

“Phew, today’s delivery destination was somewhat far.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for being late, Aoba-ku…” Haga-san’s smiling face droops when he sees the evil brats. Considering the damage they cause to the shop, well, it’s a natural reaction. “…Oh, you kids, hello. You’re here.”

The kids completely ignore the old nekomimi, too focused on their disruptive task. They began to pile on each other like a makeshift staircase, trying to reach a box.

“Kio, take that dooown.”

“Wait a sec. Here we…”

“Kio’s shorter than I thought!”

“What’d you say?!”

Still Haga-san tried to call out to them, informing them of the dangers playing around in the shop like this. But the brats aren’t listening to him anymore than they ever listen to me.

“Just an inch…!”

“K-kids…”

“Aaagh! You’re so noisy!” Snapped Kio and then Nao yelled, “Shut up baldyyy!” The air around Haga-san freezes. “…You children playing there. Excuse me for asking, but… What was that just now…?”

You’d think these kids would know by now not to say the word…

“Come on, please try saying it one more time. The first word was… ba?”

“Ba…” Nao’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. “Ba… Ba… Ba-Bad, this is bad, my stomach hurts, so… I… I’m going hooome!”

“Yeah, let’s go home!” Kio hastily agreed and the brats ran out of the store at full speed with tails tucked. That didn’t change Haga-san’s mood in the slightest. It was like he didn’t notice the kids were no longer there.

“…Ba…? What was the continuation of ba… What happened to the ba…?”

 “Ah, that’s right boss! Yes, yes, listen to this! There’ve been more orders for the S series of A parts again!” I start talking in a hurry to the mumbling Haga-san.

“…Parts?”

“Yes! Wow, just like we expected! It’s just like you said! It’s a fifty percent increase in sales from last month!”

“Is that… so.”

Seems I’m breaking through.

“Yes it is! It’s increasing! The sales are doubling!”

“Sales… Doubling!” After Haga-san listens to my good news, he finally returns to normal. “Well, well, that’s good to hear. If they are selling so well, we should increase the stock a little.” He pushed up his glasses, raised his eyebrows, and laughed.

What a relief…

I’m still surprised no matter how many times I see him change to almost a completely different person. I think it’s said that people like that are fast to flip the switch.

“Ah, really… They sure are some troubling children, aren’t they.”

That wasn’t a question. That was a statement I couldn’t help but to agree to. If they were just a bit less mischievous they might even be cute.

“Oh yeah, Aoba-kun.” Haga-san picks up a paper bag by his feet and walks to the counter. “I’m sorry, but could you deliver this baggage to the courier? You can wrap it up for today as you go.”

“Eh, is that okay?”

“Yes. I thought I’d close the shop early.”

“In that case,” I pick up my bag next to me and take the paper bag from Haga-san. As I check the slip, I notice the destination is a bit far. “I’ll be leaving then. And thanks for today.”

“Yes, good work. Be careful.”

I bow at the widely smiling Haga-san and step outside. The time display on my coil reads 3:00 pm. Some people mingle in this area even though it’s a back street. There were several routes I could use to get to the courier. As I wondered which would be the fastest I take a soft lump of fur with both of my hands out from my bag and holding the sleeping lump of fur, I start it up by pressing my hand against its forehead. “Ren. Wake up.”

When I call him, he opens his deep black eyes with a click. “…Aoba.”

“I’d like to go to the courier, can you search for the quickest route?”

“Understood.”

Ren is silent as monitors pop up before his face. It doesn’t take him long. “Road 241 at east is blocked because of a police inspection. Buses are canceled for maintenance. It is quicker to make a detour bypassing the north terminal.”

“I see, thanks.” When I pat his head, Ren barks once and wags his tail. “Okay. Let’s get going.” I put on the headphones hanging from my neck and pushed the play button for a song by, GOATBED, to listen to as I went on my way.

The best way to travel around here is by foot.

It’s what everyone does.

The transportation system in the Old Resident District is pretty bad. There’s a big street running through the center of the city, and sometimes there may be a bus or a train, or even a taxi. But they also can be cancelled or delayed without notice, so they’re not really reliable. The roads might be blocked at any time too, so nobody trusts public transportation.

Even now there are hardly any cars on the street. There’s only one taxi waiting in vain and some junked cars parked by the roadside. The sidewalk is filled with people coming and going. The most reliable thing you could have is your own two legs. The Old Resident District is divided into North, South, East, and West. They’re similar but have some differences.

For example, the East district, where both Heibon and my home are, is a residential area mixed with parts of downtown. The whole district is relatively safe and it’s easy to get your hands on various things. The North district is an off-limits area, and has become something like a ghost town. It’s unsafe.

The West district is a residential area, but you can’t really do any shopping there.

The South district is full of clothing shops, game arcades, and entertainment facilities, so a lot of young people go there. And if you go further than the North district, there’s Platinum Jail, a place full of celebrities and corporate purveyors.

Platinum Jail is one of five Japanese conglomerates. And when Toue Inc. bought this island, Midorijima, they transformed it to a _members only_ entertainment area. If the stories I’ve heard are true, everything there seems to be luxurious. Starting with the Oval Tower standing in the center of the city, there are huge casinos, movie theaters, shopping malls, and hotels… Anyway, it’s packed with all sorts of things.

Basically, you can’t become a member unless you’re invited, but the membership fee is about enough to buy this whole island… Or so I’ve heard.

Of course people here in the Old Resident District can’t get into Platinum Jail. The Old Resident District is, so to speak, almost like a slum, so it’s tentatively managed to the degree that barely anyone can live here. The police who only act big are teamed up with yakuza and do whatever they want. It’s not like we can do anything about it. Even if we’re unhappy, we can’t do anything but endure and swallow it.

Even so, it’s often said that there’s no place like home, so once you get use to it, living here is unexpectedly comfortable. We’re not cornered so badly that we can’t live, we have our nice days.

I don’t wish for much. I don’t mind if it continues like this.

“Aoba…”

The people in the Old Resident District live thinking like that.

“Aoba.”

Ren pokes his head out of my bag and taps my arm with his paw and I turn to him, “What’s the matter?”

“You are thinking too much. My thought circuit is almost short circuiting.”

“Seriously? Just how poor of a thought circuit did I install in you?” I retort only for Ren to swiftly answer back, “If the intensity of the thought circuit is temporarily set to one hundred and compared to the average adult male, the intensity of Aoba’s thought circuit would be…”

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to explain. It’s me who’s going to short circuit from that.”

“Is that so?”

I involuntarily smile at Ren’s earnest question and stroke his head.

Allmates are artificial life forms with intelligence, generally used as support for network tools. They can search the internet and virtual space for information or online shopping needs. Depending on the model, it’s also possible to use one as a helping hand around the house, and they play an active part as a partner in a net game called Rhyme.

There are many types of Allmates, among them are animal types which have many different forms; many people love them as pets. Ren is a dog type Allmate. He and I have been together for quite a long time too. I’m not exaggerating to say that I would even call him my partner. Even as Allmates improve and new models come out, I wouldn’t abandon Ren even if hell froze over.

“Aoba, if you want to take a shortcut, turn right at the next road.”

“Ack, that was close! Almost missed it!”

Following Ren’s instructions, I enter into a narrow side street. Once I get through here, I’ll be close to the courier.

A divider to the four parts of the Old Resident District is a street called Aoyagi Street. On Aoyagi Street, there are lots of stores where you can get common items cheaply. In contrast, there are many hobby stores in the back streets. As I walk on the side street, a group leaning untidily against a dirty wall stands out.

Like guys taking turns biting a silver drug sheet… That sort of atmosphere. What’s wrong with punk kids these days?

Not that I wasn’t one once. There was a time when I thought those kind of things were normal. But hey, it’s not like I’m old enough to speak like some grandpa…

I’m finished with that kind of thing. Totally.

As I pass between the guys hanging out, the contents of their loud conversation reach my ears. “…So yeah, seems like it really happened. Suddenly being hijacked in the head like that?” One of them mentioned and the other shook his head asking, “What the hell’s that? A forced Rhyme match?”

They seem to be talking about that net game.

“Yeah, yeah! It’s exactly that. A Rhyme game would suddenly start at some random roadside, and the opponent is crazy strong too.”

“But wouldn’t that mean Usui’s not there? If so, is it even possible to do Rhyme?”

“Seems like it’s possible. I don’t really get it though.”

“And if you’re not even prepared or anything, isn’t it impossible to fight? Can’t you quit?”

“Apparently it’s a no questions asked thing. Anyway, being forcibly pulled in and then beaten, it’s like a Drive-By.”

Wasn’t that generally how it worked anyway?

There’s no notifications as to when and where Rhyme is happening at all. When “Usui”, who performs the holding and judging of the game, appears then that place becomes the field.

At first it was a free game made by an amateur; the rules were loose and apparently there was no Usui either. When it gained such popularity so fast, Toue Inc. affiliated companies finally became sponsors. The addition of Usui and official rules made Rhyme what it is today. Since I don’t do Rhyme though, none of this concerns me.

I pass through the alley and walk onto Aoyagi Street again. I can see the courier’s sign at the end of the wide road but while walking towards it, I notice a thick crowd in the middle of the road. It seemed to be a loud fight. Curious onlookers gathered around and I continue to walk, trying to avoid the whole mess.

A stir in the crowd suddenly occurs, followed by a shrill scream.

I look into the center between the onlookers, standing on my tiptoes. A big bulky man shamefully lies on the ground while another man stands next to him. Even with him facing away from me, I immediately recognize him.

A bright red kimono and a big sword. It can only be him.

“You’re a big guy, but you weren’t that much of a big deal. I can’t believe you’d make a mess in front of such a fine lady.”

Koujaku, but of course.

When Koujaku taps the sword to his shoulder and curls his long tail at the tip, the dazzled girls rush to him while stepping on the man lying on the ground like he was nothing. Sheesh…

“Umm… Um, I’m really sorry…” A woman who was standing at a distance approaches Koujaku and apologetically lowers her head in a bow. “I was being selfish and I told him I wanted Koujaku-san to do my hair, and he…”

“So cheeky!” Cried a girl with a blue strip in her hair.

“Yeah! Know when it’s your turn!” Another with neon orange hair called out. It was almost painful to keep staring at that color…

The embarrassed woman seems to be the lover of the man still lying on the street. Perhaps the two tried to approach Koujaku and started an uproar or something. Koujaku controls the surrounding women gently with hand gestures and smiles at the bowing woman. “Young lady, if that’s what you think, then I feel nothing less than honored and privileged to be a hairdresser. Then again, you are all my precious customers. It’s really important to keep the line in order.

“Your boyfriend was a bit pushy, but he was thinking about what was best for you. Don’t blame him too much, okay? Well please do come again someday. When you do, I’ll welcome you.”

The troubled woman’s expression changes incredibly quick as her eyes sparkle and she blushes up to her ears. The other women apparently didn’t like where this was going, so they start to push around the enchanted woman.

“Um, Koujaku-san! You broke a sweat, right? I just bought this handkerchief awhile ago, but… if you’d like, please use it!” The blue strip girl requested after shoving away her competitors. Koujaku actually looked a tad flustered turning down the request until she kept insisting. So Koujaku takes the woman’s hand together with her handkerchief and draws them closer to himself, “Thanks.” And there it is. His famous lady killer smile. At least, that’s what I call it.

The handkerchief woman goes into a weakened state and attracts glares full of terrible jealousy. Every single woman seems to be poised for the kill.

“…Let’s go already.” I’ve seen this act many times. Disgusted, I start to separate from the crowd.

“Aoba?”

…Crap.

Don’t call out to me, not now… I know that everybody’s attention is now directed to me. This is bad, let’s pretend I didn’t notice. I turn on my heels and quickly start to walk away.

“Hey, wait!”

Koujaku, disregarding my desperation, runs after me and catches my arm.

Here we go again…

“Aoba. It really is you!”

What? Do you randomly grab people assuming they’re me? “…Yo.”

“You’ve got some bad habits. If you’re around, you should say something.” He lectured.

“Well, yeah… I just happened to be passing during work.”

“During work? A delivery?” Koujaku breathes out and smiles. The surrounding women are dazzled instantly yet again. That smiling is his habit from long ago, but there are plenty of women who still fall for it like this. It’s like his sub-weapon.

However…

There are too many people so speaking is difficult…

And the women are acting rather scary…

“Don’t you have work too? Then again, there’s all this commotion here.” I state, hoping to make a getaway soon.

“Yeah, just because this guy here tried to ignore the line. Nothing too hard to handle.” Koujaku shrugs after a quick gesture to the man who is face down on the road. “If you don’t give it a rest, someone’s going to stab you.” I couldn’t help stating my thoughts out loud.

“Stabbed? By whom?”

If you look around, you’ll see… Feeling jaded, I look at the women who were glaring back at me. I get the feeling I’m the one that will be stabbed in a moment... Their glares alone are just telling me to drop dead and stay away from their precious Koujaku.

“Do I look like I’d be stabbed that easily?” Laughed Koujaku, taking my attention away from the women. This dog…

But he certainly is skilled so I won’t say anything. Koujaku has been aware of the merits of his looks for a long time now, and, not to put it bluntly, he’s a casually confident man that’s pretty good at fighting, though he’s more famous for working as a women’s hairdresser at his own pace; setting up his signs when he wants to with no notice and no reservations.

Despite that, people always line up immediately.

Whenever Koujaku touches your hair it’s suppose to send you to heaven. I can’t even imagine how that works. Through my own eyes, this good guy act seems nothing but cheap. “Anyway,” I sigh, “Keep the fooling around within bounds. How many women do you think are off crying in the shadows?”

“You keep saying that but I can’t help it, it’s shameful for a man to refuse a woman when she offers herself to him. Women are the treasures of this world. Women are pretty and cute. So I want to be gentle to everyone.” His speech receives cheers and declarations of love all around.

Enough already…

“…Well, I guess it’s fine like that then. Anyway, I’m going.”

Koujaku nods and as soon as I was finished talking, the women went back to mobbing him. Standing in the middle, Koujaku looks at me as if he just remembered something. “Ah, that’s right. I’ll come visit your place sometime, so give my best regards to Tae-san.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I give a short answer and start walking again. That guy didn’t seem tired at all. He does anything he likes because he says women are treasures, but for me it’s just impossible. While listening to the women’s bubbling voices from behind, I walk to the courier. A specialized shipping office, “Delivery Works”.

I enter through the sign-bearing automatic doors and am greeted by the smiling face of Yoshie-san, who sits at the reception desk. “Welcome. Oh, Aoba-chan. Hello!”

I smile back. “Thanks, as usual.”

After a slight bow I put the paper bag on the counter. A small dog with dangling, glossy fur sits proudly on the counter and closely watches my movements. The sign dog of this shop, Yoshie-san’s Allmate, Clara.

“I’d like to send this, please.”

“Yes, yes. I’ll take care of it.” With experienced hands, Yoshie-san checks the address and pushes a nearby button. A box next to the counter opens and she throws the paper bag inside. Even though we’re on a small island, no one could possibly walk the same distance within a day so having this courier service in this town, where automobiles and such are inconvenient, is very useful.

…Now then.

With this, my work today is finished. “Well then, excuse me.”

“Aoba-chan, are you going back to the shop after this?” Asked Yoshie-san and I shake my head. “No, I’m going home for today. The manager is closing the shop early, so he said I can go home once I’m done with this.”

“Oh! Is that so! Isn’t that nice? Doesn’t the last episode of “If it’s Dan” air today? You can watch it real-time!”

“Dan…? What’s that?”

Yoshie-san’s eyes widen with disbelief and I get the feeling I should know this, “No way! Didn’t I just tell you the other day?!” Her words only confirm it. “Ah, did you… Uh… What was it again?”

“It’s a drama, a dra-ma! “Goodbye With a Cheek Dance”! Today it’s finally decided who will be the partner! I’m definitely thinking that Kaiser Matsuoka would be perfect! That fresh smile is absolutely beautiful, I just can’t get enough!” Yoshie-san wraps her hair around her finger and looks absent-minded with eyes like a girl in love.

Well… She isn’t really a bad person. But I’d still like to get home soon.

“Well, I’ll be taking my…”

“Speaking of which Aoba-chan,” My chance is lost yet again, “Have you heard? You know, that story, that story. I think you may not know!” Yoshie-san seems to be quite serious and draws her eyebrows together while beckoning.

…She’s not a bad person…

I give up and bring my face closer to hers. There are no other people in the shop, but for some reason Yoshie-san starts to speak in a whispering voice. “You know, Hyougadani in the North? That dangerous district.” I nod lightly for her to continue, “It was never a good place from the start, but recently I’ve heard dangerous rumors.”

“Yeah?”

“There seems to be a team whose leader is a super diabolical condemned criminal!”

“Ah. Scratch, was it? Some dangerous gangs seem to be around that area a lot now.”

Yoshie-san nods anxiously, “Yes, yes, the team seems to be completely made of prisoners. If I remember right, even before that there were stories about people getting kidnapped, or buildings being destroyed, right? That’s so scary! You can’t even walk alone peacefully at night. And the police aren’t reliable at all… Not to mention they don’t know what to do for us. Really, it’s a hard world we live in.”

It’s true that the police of the Old Resident District hardly do their jobs. They don’t care if crimes are committed. You can get punched or in the worse case, arrested just for passing a policeman and getting on his nerves even just a little bit. They’re just like yakuza.

“I want to go home soon too. Hey, what do I do if I’m attacked on the way home?!” Yoshie-san suddenly sends me a meaningful look with sparkling eyes.

“…I-I think you’ll be fine.”

Yoshie-san blinked once, twice, then frowned like my response utterly bewildered her and I could swear I saw her tail frizz out, “What, what, whaaaat?! Aoba-chan, how mean! How can you just say I’ll be fine?!” She insists.

This is getting awkward.

“Ah, well I’m finished so… Good job today.” I turn to leave.

“Wait.”

When I try to hurry to the exit, I’m stopped by a different voice than Yoshie-san’s. “I wonder how the blue one is doing?”

“Oh Clara-chan! Did you miss Ren? That’s right, Clara-chan is a very good friend of Ren-chan’s!” Yoshie-san lifts Clara in her arms and looks at me with eyes full of expectation. “Uh, unfortunately I left him at home…”

“He’s in that bag of yours, isn’t he? Were you going to leave without having him saying hello to me?”

Damn that observant dog. I can’t escape anymore. I’m sorry Ren… but endure it for a little while.

I take out Ren, who’s in sleep mode, from the bag and tap his head lightly to start him. “…Aoba. What’s the matter?”

“Ren. Um, could you say hi to Clara-chan?”

Ren’s tail and ears droop instantly. In front of him is the cocky Clara-chan being held by Yoshie-san. “What is it? Is he still asleep?” She asks impatiently.

“…How are you, Clara?” Ren finally responds. “I’m fine, Ren.” Clara wags her tail joyfully. Yoshie-san also lowers the corners of her eyes and smiles. “Really, Clara-chan and Ren-chan are such good friends!”

I could only give an awkward laugh before once more I try to take my leave, “Since the greetings are over, this time I really…”

“Ah, wait! Wait a minute, Aoba-chan!”

“Just one thing! Wait just a minute! Sorry, I know you’re leaving!”

I smile uneasily and root myself in place.

***

 By the time I was freed from Yoshie-san and went out, it was already dark. “…Ren, good job back there.”

“If it can’t be avoided, I’ll do what I must.” Ren sighed and crouches down in the bag wearily. Clara seems to like Ren in such a manner that when our eyes meet, it looks like he’s begging for help. The personality of Allmates can be set to one’s liking, it changes with each environment little by little. As a result, a difference comes out in the chemistry between Allmates just like with people.

Ren seems to not like Clara. Unfortunately for Ren, I think it’s a bit entertaining.

“Are you okay too, Aoba?”

“Somehow.” I sigh. After Yoshie-san stopped me, I was treated to a cake that had a huge amount of whipped cream on it; she’d made it in a cooking class. More accurately, I was forced to eat it all. Thanks to that, I now have severe heartburn. “So, let’s go home now…” I pat Ren’s back to encourage my fellow soldier who had barely evaded death, and begin to walk towards home.

The town was now dressed night and flashy neon lights lit up the shops everywhere. Because illegal construction isn’t regulated, the sky in the Old Resident District is covered with the shadows of distorted buildings. That’s why it’s kind of dark even during the day. When night falls, groups that almost seem like they were in hiding until then come out. Ribsteez groups gather too, so there’s a completely different vibe from daytime.

Ribsters are people in the Old Resident District teaming up and fighting in turf wars. Because Ribsteez is older than Rhyme, the guys doing Rib look down on the ones doing mostly Rhyme. The Ribsters think of those who do Rhyme as “big headed wise guys who live in their own fantasy worlds”. But since it seems like some Ribsters are switching to Rhyme, lately there have been many quarrels between the two groups.

While I advance through the lively atmosphere, my hand is suddenly grabbed from behind.

The person who grabs my arm is a frivolous man whose hair I assume is dyed red as his flopped ears and tail don’t match it. Probably younger than me.  “Ooh, isn’t this a Brain Nuts jacket?”

“Hey, wasn’t this design on premier right now?” This time a green haired guy comes closer with a smile. Wow, their hair colors, is it Christmas?

“Oh no, I want this soooo bad! Hey, mister!” The red haired one looks at me with an artificial smile, tail wagging rapidly. “…They sell these at the shop in front of the station.” I answer simply but when I try to shake off his hand with great effort, the redhead looks at me angrily. “Wait a sec, hey.”

“What’s with your attitude.” His buddy asks.

“I’m tellin’ you I want this right here and now. You deaf?”

“And by the way, we’re Bug Bomb. Ever heard of us? So, what’s all this? You underestimating us?” The green haired guy holds out his wrist proudly. On it is a tattoo of a winking girl with enormous breasts leaning over a pink bomb.

Aren’t these guys ashamed of having someone carve that on their skin…? And I haven’t heard of Bug Bomb before. I knew very well that these guys were underlings. Because they’re only that, they like to pick up fights openly like this. “Lame.”

“Aah? What’d you say just now?”

“I just called you lame.”

“Huuh? You, what’s your team?” The duo stare me down like to intimidate me but I roll my eyes at them. “I’m not in one.” They start laughing, calling me a no-mark while looking at each other and smiling stupidly.

There are tag arts used as team symbols in Rib, and the team’s tag art is tattooed somewhere on your body when you join. Those who don’t have a tattoo are assumed to not do Rib. That’s why it’s common that no-marks become targets of diversion for Ribsters. There’s no team that holds a grudge if you happen to kill a no-mark.

“Heh, if you’re a no-mark, means it’s okay to do you in.” Giggled the redhead.

“Cause we can afford to.” Joined in his green haired buddy. “Hey bro, let’s go over there for a little while, okay?”

“Better leave while you’re ahead.”

Red and Green throw an exaggerated glare at the voice coming from behind them.

“If you get involved with him, he’ll break both of your jaws.”

“Haa? What? Who’re you?”

As soon as the green haired one sees the owner of the voice, his facial expression stiffens unlike his redhead companion. “Hey, this is bad…”

“What’s bad?”

“That’s… the leader of Dry Juice.”

“What?!”

“Do you know that guy’s killer technique? Fox’s heel drop. Eat it once and it’ll break your jaw.” The man behind them mused.

Red and Green turn to me no longer smiling. “If you’re from Dry Juice, you should’ve said so from the start!” After saying worthless last words, the two of them ran off like puppies with their tails between their legs. Witnessing that, the guy laughs. “That was pretty lame. If you’re gonna run, don’t start a fight at all.”

Already knowing his identity, I turn around. “Yo.”

“Long time no see, Aoba.”

This radiantly smiling inumimi is Mizuki, leader of the largest Rib team, Dry Juice. Look a bit lower than his dark hair and below one of his green eyes you’ll find a tear tattoo, his team’s symbol, proudly displayed on his dark skin.

“What the heck was that fox’s heel drop thing?” I ask and Mizuki laughs, “I was talking about your foot tricks. I came up with the name just now, but whatever. I wasn’t wrong to say you’ve broken some jaws before though, right?”

“That was years ago.”

“I remember it clearly even now. But anyway, it’s unusual for you to be here around this time. Did you finally feel like joining me in Dry Juice?” He smiled widely as he spoke, but I wave my hand dismissively. “No way. I keep saying I don’t want to, remember?”

“Try joining a team, all sorts of good things come with it.”

Mizuki and I hung around a long time ago, we were friends that did a lot of stupid things. He has a friendly personality, but in tight situations he’s capable of strict and tactical reasoning. Since all the guys participating in Rib like to act real tough, I think it’s pretty awesome that he was able to put so many inumimis together to make the largest Rib team.

But I still have no plans to join Dry Juice or become a Ribster.

“Anyway, I hate anything that would cause me trouble.”

“I know. But lately, the state of our team has been somewhat fragile.” Mizuki’s smile drops into a frown which is unusual of him and I tilt my head, “Fragile? Really? Isn’t your team the best as always?”

“It’s because of Rhyme.” Mizuki’s facial expression clouds further at the mere mention. “Our members are sneaking to their side. It’s fine to hear that Rhyme is a game where you battle with brains, but in the end it’s just a delusional game, right? Honestly, I can’t figure out what’s so good about it. Are you mentally protecting your turf or what?”

“Well, yeah it’s weird…” It’s not like I could understand the feelings Mizuki harbored against Rhyme. The same could be said about Rib; that it’s a children’s foolish war game. But, despite that, Mizuki is thinking about his team seriously. He may not forgive the guys who easily jump at the trend.

“And then there are those mysterious disappearances.”

I blink confused at the sudden statement.

“You’ve heard about them, right? Stories about entire Rib teams going missing.” He stared at me expectantly and I shrug. “Yeah, I have, but isn’t that an urban legend from ten years ago?”

“Maybe… But recently there’ve been teams that I haven’t been seeing for a while now.”

“Are you sure they just didn’t make a mistake and get in trouble with the yakuza?” I try reasoning but Mizuki shakes his head. “Some members of the teams which disappeared have come back wandering aimlessly after several days. But it seems they can’t remember anything. They’ve forgotten themselves… It’s like they’re brainwashed or something.”

“But those disappearances, wasn’t the culprit a group called Morphine? And Morphine itself is like an urban legend too.”

Legend indeed. It was said that Morphine was the strongest and most feared team among Ribsters. Their tag art was full of black from top to bottom and over that was a heart and cross. Though there were various rumors, all were scattered so nothing made sense. Just like those stories of teams disappearing. Even if there are guys that saw Morphine, there are no specific stories or evidence at all to support.

“If it turns out that Morphine’s not behind this, then I’ve been thinking that it’s probably those Rhyme guys.” Mizuki went on with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Isn’t that a bit far-fetched?” I ask and Mizuki shrugged as he began to tell me how carried away Rhyme players were getting. Even if that’s true… “Things like disappearances, and brainwashing people’s minds, can they even do that? Wouldn’t it have caused a huge commotion if they could?”

Some silence settled between us until Mizuki shrugged again, “That’s why I’m not too serious about it.”

Suddenly, a cheer arises nearby. Surrounding people begin to run in that direction. Mizuki clicks his tongue and grimaces. “…Rhyme, huh. I’ll be leaving. See you, and make sure to show your face at the shop.” Mizuki waves with his open hand and advances through the crowd, pushing away those rushing in. After Mizuki’s figure disappears completely, I turn to the direction in which everybody was running to.

I don’t hate Rhyme like Mizuki does, but I’m not very interested in it either. If you meet Mizuki for the first time and talk about Rhyme with him, you’ll probably hate it afterward. “What’s the matter?” Asked Ren. “Nothing. Let’s keep going.” I pat Ren’s head and begin to walk in the noisy alley.

Then…

Suddenly, I’m wrapped in a white light. A mass appears in front of me when I stop to see what happened. It gradually takes a human form and extends its hand towards me. Its fingertips brush my cheek—and vanish.

While I wonder what happened, many people suddenly swarm around me. I’m mobbed by an excited group. I don’t think I can slip out of here!

“Usui, Usui!” Someone chanted.

A large circle of light floats on the ground, and what appears inside is… The body of a woman with multiple arms swaying slowly, and then stops. “Now, sorry to have kept you waiting, everyone! Rhyme’s starting now! The first battle of today is between Rhyme name ‘Player’ and ‘Route 44’!”

I’ve seen Rhyme several times at a distance, but this is the first time I’ve been up so close. The rabbit ear woman with multiple arms is Usui, who speaks in a deep voice, contradicting its appearance. While swaying two hands, a huge virtual monitor appears over its head. The audience can watch the state of the game from that monitor.

The participants are already standing on both sides of Usui and adjust the settings on their Allmates.

“Can the newcomer successfully break a winning streak?! Or…?! Okay, ‘Player’ seems to have finished preparing! ‘Route 44’… Are you almost ready too? Both seem to be finished! Well then, let’s start already! GAME… START!!” Usui smiles and raises a hand with a graceful movement unfitting of its voice. The monitor emits a white light and projects the field.

The audience cheers and hoots unanimously.

Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through my head. I hold my forehead and my gaze wanders.

What?

Is it because the crowd is so loud?

“Aoba, are you alright?” Ren asked worryingly and I try to reassure him with a light nod. “…Yeah, I’m fine. But let’s go now.”

“That would be for the best.”

Passing somewhat forcibly between the spectators who were absorbed in Rhyme, I slip out from the mountain of onlookers. I lean on a nearby wall, exhale, and look down. A pair of fancy shoes catch my attention and when I look up, I see a familiar duo.

“Good evening.”

“Hey there.”

I’ve known these two for a long time. The neko with glasses is Virus, and the fully built inu is Trip.

“What’s the matter? Are you not feeling well?” Asked Virus with a small smile. “Being in that crowd make you sick?” Trip asked right after.

“Yeah, that might be the case…” I answer to them both. Ren questions how I am again and I reassure once more that I’ll be fine.

“What are you doing in a place like this?” Virus mused. “It’s rare for you to be watching Rhyme.”

“Well, no particular reason.”

“Are you beginning to become interested in it?” He leaned toward me and I shook my head instantly. “Not really.”

“Then did you just wander around and wind up here?” Trip cut in with a light laugh and I set a hand on my hip while staring at the two. “I did not. And the same goes for you two, what are you wandering around here for?”

“We are here because of work.” Virus answered. “It’s because the Rhymers have been getting a little out of hand recently.” Trip explained, reminding me of my conversation with Mizuki. Out of the so-called dangerous associations in the Old Resident District, these two are members of one.

I got acquainted with them long in the past, back when I was in my teens and did stupid things. I spent all my time in the western district Wanibashi and didn’t go home, and for some reason I was always irritated. When I was living like that, I once made a mistake in a fight and encountered a person who wanted revenge, and I was sent to the hospital.

It’s embarrassing to even remember…

At the moment, only these guys and Granny know about those days. At one time, we lost contact with each other, but we began to talk again starting a few years ago. I had become a part-timer, and they had joined the yakuza.

“Anyway, you two are looking as similar as always. Like twins.” I tease and automatically at the same time they respond.

“We are not twins.”

“We’re not twins.”

Virus changes his stance slightly. “Aoba-san, is your work going smoothly?” Trip smiles as he seems to recall something, “Aah, you worked at an ice cream shop? The one with the penguin aprons? Didn’t you get fired after one day?”

God, why did he… “Not one, three days. Now I’m a salesclerk at a junk shop.” I correct defensively. “Aah, what was it? Byoudou?”

“Heibon. I’ve worked there for quite a long time now.” Correcting Trip yet again I let out a sigh while Virus speaks up, “Working at a place with that name doesn’t quite fit you, Aoba-san. Well, if you want to behave violently again, call us any time. We are fairly prosperous, so I’d recommend it.”

“Haha… I’ll only accept your thoughts.”

“I still often think that I’d like to see you fighting again, Aoba-san.”

“That’s right, because we’re your fans.” Agreed Trip.

Before I can retort, Usui’s booming voice comes through telling of the Rhyme match results. The excitement of the audience reaches its peak…

“HEY, you hooligans!!”

A voice enters, dividing the enthusiastic atmosphere. “Ah, that noisy man has finally arrived.” Commented Virus.

Accompanied by police officers is the megaphone-holding evil eyed inumimi, Akushima. He’s a detective who abuses his authority and does whatever he wants to. The number of victims who have been arrested or received abuse by this guy on false charges are countless. Fitting to his haggard appearance, he’s called the god of death in the Old Resident District. “Making a fuss here are we? ALL OF YOU FUCKERS ARE UNDER ARREST!!”

Usui disappears like smoke and the Rhyme is suspended. The participants and spectators alike escape in all directions.

“Better run away from here.” Virus stated in an otherwise calm tone to Trip before facing me, “You hurry too, Aoba-san.”

“Bye bye, Aoba.”

I barely nod before we separate to disappear among the rushing crowd. Over my shoulder I can still hear Akushima screaming into that megaphone of his. The man sounds like he’s just about to pop a blood vessel. I decide to continue to Aoyagi street and I almost get hit by a motorbike when I turn at the corner while running. “Whoa, hey!” I quickly roll onto the ground and blankly look up at the bike. The rider doesn’t get off of it, his gaze focused on me. When I meet with his eyes, for some reason, chills run down my spine. Yet the man says nothing and speeds off on his bike again.

I stand up in a hurry to confront, but it’s already too late. The motorbike makes a roaring sound as it speeds down the street in the twinkling of an eye.

That bastard…!

He almost mowed me down, potentially causing an all out traffic accident, and he didn’t even apologize for it! Not that it isn’t an uncommon thing in this town, but I was still angry. The thought I could have been hit makes another shudder run through me.

“Aoba, are you alright?” Ren asked in concern, poking his head out from my bag. “Yeah, just barely. But that was close.”

“It’s a relief you’re safe.”

I’m calmed by Ren’s words and my anger fades. Well, since I was safe, it should be fine…

I change my mood and begin to walk home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/26/15 EDIT: Well damn, it only took me a couple months of being here before figuring out how to edit with the Rich Text instead of HTML? Anyway, gonna be editing a couple chapters here and then resuming updates.


	2. Captive Princess

When I enter the residential area and walk a bit further, I see my house. “I’m ho…”

“You stupid grandson!” A thundering voice shakes my eardrums as soon as I open the door. “So… loud…”

“Of course! I’m yelling so you can hear me clearly!” Granny stands at the platform of the entrance, snorting and scowling at me. I’ve always wondered, where does she get that loud voice from? “What now, why are you angry?” I ask bewildered. “Of course I’m angry! It’s the key, the key!”

“Key?”

“When you go to work, take the entrance key and lock the door! I’ve told you so many times!”

The realization kicks in. “Aah… I see. Sorry.” When I woke up today I was almost late, so I panicked and flew out of the house.

“Don’t ‘sorry’ me! Really, why did I raise a child with such bad memory?”

“Jeez, I couldn’t help it. I forgot.”

“Of course you overslept and dashed out again. Really, even though you turned twenty-three, you’re still so helpless. It’s so sad I could cry.”

Oh give me a break Grams! “I said I’m sorry! Is there any human being around that hasn’t been careless at some point?”

“What, are you aiming for the world championship of carelessness? How many times has this happened already?”

“…Six times?”

Granny began trembling with anger, ears pinned to her head, tail frizzing. “Honestly… A child like you…” A blue vein is clearly visible on her forehead. She could faint if too much blood goes to her head. “I get it, I get it! I’ll be more careful starting tomorrow, so don’t shout anymore!”

“Hmph. How many times have I heard those words too? Honestly like this, I can’t just fall and die.” Grandma lets out a rough snort and goes back towards the kitchen with loud footsteps. At least it seems she’s settled down for now, anyway.

Relieved, I take off my shoes and enter the hallway.

Shouting happens every day like this, but our relationship isn’t that bad. It’s rather good actually. Granny’s shouting is proof that she’s fine. If her shouting disappeared one day, I’d feel lonely. I feel thankful to Granny for raising me by herself, and I also respect her.

In the kitchen, Granny moves something that was just stir-fried in the frying pan to a plate. I wash my hands by the sink, pick out chopsticks from a shelf, and arrange them on the table. My parents were also living together with us at one point, but they were free spirits by nature and were never in the house. When a year passed and I’d think they’ll never return, they would suddenly come back, and disappear again…

That was the case ever since I was small, so living together with just Granny became everyday life for me. That’s why I was unexpectedly calm even if my parents didn’t come home. It’s really thanks to Granny. Even though I’ve made her worry about me over many things, I want to cherish the time I’m living with Granny. Even without any special luxuries, living like this is enough.

“Well then, let’s eat.” Grandma announces.

Somen noodles, tuna, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and boiled greens, deep fried fish and miso soup are all lined up on the table. I took a seat with Granny and put both hands together to be thankful for the food. Right after that I was digging in. “Granny, this is delicious.”

“Is that so?”

Being chased by the police made me hungry, so Granny’s homemade cooking really hit the spot. While I scarf down my food, a sharp pain runs through my head like before. Grams glanced at me, reminding me to take my medicine after the meal.

These headaches only became so frequent after I had been hospitalized for doing stupid stuff. This was the second time today. I had many things inspected in the hospital, but they said the cause was unknown. Since then, I’ve taken a medicine Granny prescribed to me. Granny has a medical license; she examines old people from the neighborhood and prescribes medicine. Being safer than an unskilled doctor who takes only lots of money, she has a bit of a reputation in the neighborhood. Other medicines are useless, but when I take Granny’s medicine, the headaches always stop quickly. That’s a sure reason to be able to call her skilled. “Thanks for the meal.” When I finish eating, I take the medicine, and after I clear off the tableware I go up to the second floor.

I enter my room and take Ren, who’s in sleep mode, out of my bag and start him up.

My head still hurts…

I think about getting some fresh air and I step out on the veranda and lean on the handrail. The slightly cool wind feels comfortable. When I let out a small breath and look up to the sky, only the shadows of the folded buildings reflect in my field of vision. The scenery wasn’t like this in the past. It was more beautiful. This island…

Midorijima floats in the remote sea southwest of the Japanese Island, Honshu. The selling points of the island are the blue sea, white sands, and rich green foliage… Or so they were. Those are all stories from the past. Now, Platinum Jail occupies approximately one-third of the island in a lordly manner. Because Platinum Jail and the Old Resident District are cut off with a huge wall, we can’t see inside it from this side. I’ve seen the representative of Toue Inc. on TV and network several times.

Apparently, when I was a kid, Toue Inc. required eviction of the inhabitants during the development. However, they were promised luxurious houses and lots of money, so most of the inhabitants left the island depending on negotiations. But there were some stubborn inhabitants who wouldn’t go away. We’re like that too.

No matter how good the conditions they were offered, they couldn’t abandon their hometown where they were born and raised; they kept ignoring the eviction demand again and again. After a while, Toue’s side said no more.

They began to give up, and the reason was officially “because they didn’t want coercion.” But, in fact, they abandoned the remaining inhabitants. If you don’t want to accept negotiations, so be it. Live or die, it’s up to you. And then, Toue dealt his next hand.

Saying that it was maintenance for the island, the supply lines of water service, gas, and goods were narrowed rapidly and the surviving inhabitants were driven away to the present Old Resident District as a result.

The once beautiful Midorijima was ruined…

No matter how anyone describes it, a country cannot allow such tyranny.

The inhabitants who believed in that appealed to the main land wanting them to do something. But, since nothing has changed even now, it was useless to hope for better. About three years ago, when going from the Old Resident District to the main land, you had to obtain the permission of the Administration Bureau, which belonged to Toue.

In other words, the inhabitants of the Old Resident District can’t step out of the island without the permission of Toue.

Such permission is never granted.

It’s Toue’s way of saying that the people who rejected the evictions were wrong.

As I was staring out into space, something makes a sound by my feet. “Aoba. What will you do with the data that was downloaded earlier today?” Asked Ren. His words startle me and make me stand up straight.

…That’s right. I completely forgot. It was when the brats came into the shop today. Before I knew it, a download complete screen had popped up. Was it…? I face Ren anxiously, “Did the data contain a virus?”

“I didn’t detect anything.”

“Contents?”

“It’s a type of game where a player performs movement and information gathering by manipulating a character, fights with an enemy character, acquires an experience value and raises a level.” Ren explained and I felt my shoulders relax. “Ah, an RPG, huh? Do I have to pay?”

Ren shook his head, “You don’t have to pay for it.”

“Huh… so I didn’t accidentally pay for it because of those brats. Is it some kind of trial application?”

“That is unknown.”

I decide to shrug it off. “Well, if there’s nothing weird I could try it. Just to kill some time.”

“Shall I start it?”

“Please do.”

“Understood.”

I take Ren in my arms, return to the room, and sit on my bed. Opening up the game on my coil, the first thing I see is a pixel princess requesting to be saved. “That’s a really retro screen.” Kio, Nao, and Mio’s generation have probably never seen anything like this. Even I haven’t seen this type of an old game anywhere else but video sites. After the message from the princess was over, a title logo appeared.

Silent Oath.

…It’s so old, it’s almost strangely refreshing. While the odd feeling rises inside of me, I push “START”. As soon I do the game starts with a character that looks like a blue knight. I move it through some passages until it stopped before a beach and the screen suddenly fades to black with the words, to be continued.

“Huh? Are the parts delivered periodically?” I ask Ren.

“Looks like it.”

“I see. It’s exactly the shortness of a game you can play when you have time to kill.” I don’t know if it was entertaining or not, but if a sequel comes out, I might play it again. As soon as I close the game screen, I yawn. I was so focused on the game I didn’t realize how tired I was. “I think it’s time to get ready for bed.” I close the window and curtain to the veranda and leave my room to go to the washroom.


	3. Rabbit Head

The next day, I go to work at Heibon as always and look after the shop from behind the counter. I get my usual headache and massage the inner corners of my eyes with my index finger and thumb. My head’s felt heavy ever since this morning. Even after I took my medicine after breakfast…

Did I catch a cold?

“Aoba-kun, I’d like to ask you to do a little delivery.”

Rattling noises come from the back of the store as well as Haga-san’s voice. “Ah, I’ll help…!” My legs wobble when I try to stand up. I instantly push my hand onto the counter. Haga-san must have seen me for I next hear him call, “Aoba-kun, are you alright?”

“Sorry, I feel a little dizzy.”

“Please sit down. I can do it.” And like that Haga-san manages to lift the heavy looking boxes as he said he could to a shelf. I stare out for a moment until I hear him asking, “Hm? What’s the matter, Aoba-kun?”

“Ah, no. I just thought that was pretty amazing.”

Haga-san laughed, “Oh, it wasn’t anything like that.”

“Cleaning, cleaning.” Haga-san’s Allmate Bonjin-kun comes up and whirls around him. “Ah, Bonjin-kun. Please take care of the back.”

“Back, back.” Bonjin-kun returns to the back of the shop. Haga-san turns to me then with a look like he remembered something, “Ah, yes. Could I ask you to deliver this item for me?” He takes a small paper bag out of his pocket. “The order came in the middle of the night, it’s specified as a special delivery.”

When I see the slip of the paper bag, I notice that the address is in the East District like we are. It would be faster to deliver this directly.

“Since one of our contractors is coming soon, I cannot leave the shop. I’m sorry.”

I shake my head and smile reassuringly, “It’s okay. I’ll leave right away.”

Haga-san smiles, thanks me, and walks towards the stairs to the basement. My head still feels heavy. But it’s my job. I’ll have to try my best. I tap my forehead lightly to get myself together and let out a short breath. Taking my bag close to me with Ren in it and the paper bag, I leave the shop.

***

“Hmm, was it faster to go this way?” I ask Ren while walking through Aoyagi street as he navigates and he confirms my question. In this quiet road between buildings, a familiar tag art is drawn here and there on the walls.

Beni-Shigure. Koujaku’s team.

Rib teams claim territory by drawing their tag art in visible spots. This area was Koujaku’s. The size of his team is not very big. Rather, not very many are aware that Koujaku even participates in Rib. With his popularity among women, and therefore irritating many guys, fights are common. But he has never lost. Before even he was aware of it, other guys—mostly all canines but some other kinds—actually became fans because of his consecutive victories, and a team was formed just like that. If you rely on him, you can’t really complain. Lots of team members gather because they adore the leader, and they come to resemble the leader somehow.

Maybe because of that, here in Beni-Shigure’s territory there are lots of men wearing Japanese clothes without a hakama. One glance at them might give you a bad impression, but they’re all good guys. They help elderly with heavy luggage, look for a lost child’s parents, that’s why Beni-Shigure’s popularity is pretty high in the Old Resident District.

That’s also thanks to Koujaku… likely.

“Yo, Aoba.” Someone calls out to me. I exchange a greeting with a member I’m acquainted with as some other members were talking happily with a police officer. Depending on money or mood, some officers will mingle with the islanders. Ribsters commonly use them to gain information or have things overlooked.

As I continue walking down the street, I hear an awfully high-spirited voice come from a few feet ahead. A group of three consisting of one inu and two nekos walk towards me, the women snuggling up to the man practically pushing and shoving while walking.

Of course, the guy walking sandwiched between the two women is Koujaku. I didn’t want to bump into him in this kind of situation again…

I look for a way to divert our paths but there’s none to be had. And before I know it I’m spotted. “Oh, well if it isn’t Aoba!” called Koujaku.

“…Hi there.”

Koujaku’s face draws into a cheerful smile. Perched upon his shoulder is a red sparrow, his Allmate, Beni. “Aoba. Ren doing okay?” He asks and Ren’s head peeps out of my bag. “I’m here.” The two acknowledge each other as suddenly one of the women seem to acknowledge me at the same time. “Oh, Koujaku-san, is this your friend?” She stares at me with judging eyes.

“Yeah, a childhood friend.” Koujaku answers casually. “Oh, this that so? This little bun bun?” The other woman giggles.

…Well then. I’m sorry that the amazing Koujaku’s childhood friend doesn’t measure up to the man himself. I could practically feel the thought creasing into the expression of my face.

Even though we call ourselves childhood friends, it’s not like we were always together when we were small. Originally Koujaku was from the mainland, and came to this island with his mother. He was on the island for about three, four years, and then returned to the mainland with his mother again. During that time was a little vacant period, and about three years ago Koujaku suddenly came back alone.

I was surprised when he came back. Not only was he quite sturdy but he also sported scars upon his hands and face along with the hint of a tattoo on his chest seen through the front of his kimono. But the expressions and gestures he made when he laughed and the way he spoke hadn’t changed at all. We started to hang out together again, and he often comes to visit my home to eat Granny’s home made cooking.

“What now, what’s the matter with you?” Koujaku’s voice brings me out of my thoughts and I ask, “What do you mean?”

“You don’t look so hot.”

Crap, of course he’d notice. “…It’s nothing really.”

Koujaku gave a skeptical look at me but apparently decided to accept my words. I definitely still have a small headache. Do I really look that sick?

“Are you working right now?” Koujaku asked in a change of subject. “Yup. Unlike somebody else.” I jabbed, resisting from looking at the two women glued to either side of him. They still react before Koujaku can. “Well! It’s not like Koujaku-san is fooling around, you know!” The woman on the left claimed. “Yeah, even now he’s only escorting us during his work.” Pitched in the woman on the right.

And that’s not considered fooling around? My eyes narrow at Koujaku who just smiles back innocently, “Oh don’t say that. Although it’s true that when I’m with such cute ladies, I can’t get any work done.”

Every single time, when he says things like that around women they act weak in the knees. Wouldn’t anyone else just be completely on edge…?

“It’s shameful for a man to refuse a woman when she offers herself to him, right?” Course Beni was no help. “Exactly.” Koujaku nodded, “Women are the treasures of the world. They’re soft and tender, and will gently embrace a man. That’s why cherishing women is a man’s duty. Am I right?” The two women practically melt even closer against him.

And that’s enough for me to witness today.

“Well then, I’ll be going.” Just when I go to walk around the trio completely disgusted, one of the woman calls out to me. I turn but suddenly she’s right there in front of me and her skinny fingers reach out and lightly dust the collar of my jacket, “There’s some dirt on you.”

“…Ah, thanks.”

What was that about?

“As expected. I love thoughtful women.” Koujaku compliments earning a nice flush from the woman. I should have figured. But then she looks at me again as if she just realizes something. “You have long hair, don’t you?” She asks, perking the other woman’s attention my way too, “Oh, that’s true. I didn’t notice.” They start to giggle and tease saying how cute my hair is. That it’s like women’s hair. My headache’s returning in full swing.

It was likely thanks to that, that I didn’t right away notice one of the women reaching out her hand until I see her finger tips suddenly so close.

Reflectively I swing at the woman’s hand, not realizing the deed until I watched that spark of pain cross her face as her hand retracted defensively against her chest. “Hey, what are you doing?! That was rude!” The other woman snapped as she threw an arm around her companion. I try to apologize right away but she keeps snapping at me until Koujaku steps in between us, “Hey hey, wait a second. I’ll apologize for him. I’m sorry? Like this.” He takes the hand of the woman I swung at, “Actually, this guy hasn’t really gone out with women that much. So when he’s around pretty girls like you ladies, he doesn’t know what to do, right?”

Koujaku looks at me like he’s demanding an agreement. His eyes telling me to play along. Thanks asshole.

“Could you have mercy and forgive him?” Koujaku asks the women and they look at me with eyes full of pity. As irritating it was, frankly, Koujaku just saved my ass. He knows the thing I hate most is having other people touching my hair. When he catches my gaze, he smiles. “What, what’s the matter? Admiring my manliness?”

“Shut up, you hippo.”

And back in the frying pan I go as the women’s eyes turn into daggers, “Hey! Why are you calling Koujaku-san a hippo?!” But Koujaku just gives me a silent wink of understanding. I part with Koujaku while waving slightly over my shoulder.

The delivery destination was close when I turned left at the road and headed straight. As I turn a corner, I see a man sitting down by the roadside. He whispers something likely to himself, but I don’t understand the contents well. These days, you could see people doing this pretty often as Mizuki pointed out before. Sitting down on the ground and looking at the sky, muttering to themselves against the wall like that.

They always existed but seeing it now made me realize how much more have been showing up lately. Well, as long as you stay away from them, there’s no real trouble. I quickly pass by the whispering man with that in mind.

In the alley of this neighborhood, the road was smaller than it used to be. No sunshine came through, so it was very humid. It also had many restaurants; fragrant smells and smoke drifted around constantly. “I’m feeling kinda hungry now.”

“If that feeling is neglected, a stomach ache by hyperacidity will occur in about one hour.”

I blink, looking down at Ren peering out of my bag, “What for? Is there something wrong with my stomach?”

“Yesterday’s meal influenced it. There is also a slight influence of sleep deprivation as well.” He answered. If I remember correctly, it was after the time when I was on a delivery to the courier. That cake with a huge amount of whipped cream…

I suddenly feel something strange and stop. It feels like someone is staring at me… But I don’t see anyone particularly suspicious.

…Must’ve been my imagination.

“Aoba!” Ren cries out and I feel a sensation similar to losing my footing on a set of stairs. Everything that reflected in my eyes stopped moving and before shifting forward with a great speed just after that. In the confusing situation, a sharp headache runs through my head and I scowl.

My thoughts become muddy like turbid water, and my hands and feet turn numb. After feeling this strange sense that torments my whole body, a view opens out before my eyes.

“What… is this place…?”

It’s almost like I’ve been sucked into a game. The wire-frame floor emits light and continues on forever. As I continue to look around, the space before me shines pale blue. The shape of a person begins to form, starting from their feet. The sight almost causes me to fall backwards. “Ren?!”

Without missing a beat he strides to my side looking me over. “Aoba, are you okay?”

“What, what just happened? And why do you look like that?” I ask bewildered, taking in the pale man wrapped in a large cloak that obscured his entire upper body. His hat took the same effect of hiding his eyes but I could see matching tattoos on either cheek. His ears and tail matched that of his dog form.

“It seems that Allmates are reflected in their online mode here.” Ren answered.

“Isn’t online mode used mainly in Rhyme? I’ve only seen you in that form on the setting screen.” As I ask that the scenery changes again with a green tint replacing the blue, pixilated rabbit cubes line either side of us along with rather creepy giant dolls also shaped like rabbits. “Aoba!” Ren pushes me away and I roll onto the floor while a fierce wind goes over my head. “What was that?!”

“Aoba, this is a public Rhyme field. It seems we were forcibly dragged here.”

“What?! Is that even…”

“Aoba, something’s coming.”

I follow Ren’s line of sight and what I see shocks me.

…A person wearing a rabbit head and a white coat like doctors wear complete with a stethoscope slung around the neck was standing there.

“Does this mean Rhyme started already…?”

Then the person spoke in a metallic, vibrating tone. _“…i **T** is su **CH** a **N** ho **N** or. So let’ **S** **HAVE** a **FUN** **GA** m **E** **S** hall we?”_ An honor? What is that suppose to mean? Before I can figure out what is happening a cube flies out in front of the person and shifts into a white rabbit wearing a jacket and headset. Then other cubes appear, all morphing into white rabbits with boxing gloves on.

“DEATH set!” Cries the headset rabbit with the command taking shape in a green symbol and the other rabbits respond, “Roger!” Before I know it the boxing glove rabbits are flying toward me and Ren. We barely dodge it.

“Hey, wait a minute!” I cry out. “I want nothing to do with Rhyme! Cut it out!”

The person just stands there before I hear that metallic voice again, _“ **RHY** me na **M** e, **SL** y **B** lue. **S** era **GAKI** **A** o **B** a.”_

Chills shot through my spine. “Why do you know my name…? And what’s this Sly thing?”

_“ **F** i **GH** t.”_

“I’ve never done Rhyme before!” I insisted but the person only repeats themselves. “It’s useless, he won’t listen! Let’s run!” With that, Ren and I take off within this endless field. I glance at him. “Ren, can’t we do something?! Is there a way to get out of here?”

He shook his head. “I tried, but the logout function seems to have been disabled.”

“Seriously?! What’s up with this?!” A rabbit catches up with us and plows mercilessly into my side, sending me into a tumble until Ren catches me. “Aoba, are you alright?”

“It hurts pretty badly.”

“Rhyme doesn’t inflict damage on the real body. It is all an illusion in the brain. It is controlled so that it does not cause any further influence.” Ren pauses, “But in this field, the control of the damage level seems to be excluded.”

“Doesn’t that mean…”

“When taking damage here, some influence may be exerted on the real body.”

What the hell?! I was starting to remember rather vividly that conversation I passed by the other day. The Drive-By incidents.

“You can’t get away.”

When I look up, a rabbit peeps at me from a block nearby. Following it are the rest and the headset rabbit cries out, “LOSS set!”

Crap!

Ren jumps in front of me when I miss the chance to escape their attack. “Ren, are you okay!?”

Then… Before I could hear a response from Ren, pain speared through my head.

 

This wasn’t what he was expecting. Did he get the wrong guy? The man brought up his opponent’s information screen and irritably clicked his tongue. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” It was Sly Blue, however, “His Allmate is an old model without armor. Is he underestimating me?”

“He almost doesn’t have anything, he’s completely screwing with us!” Piped in his Allmate, Usagimodoki. The man sighed, “Let’s just finish this quickly.” Just when the words left his lips he glanced up to see Sly Blue’s Allmate commencing under a command. His arm distorted with blue lightening crackling around it. “…What?”

Suddenly both arms distorted, coming together like a giant cannon and fired.

“Confirmed enemy attack! 3 losses! Durability decreased by 12!” Yelled Usagimodoki as a couple rabbits were sent flying from the blast. “…Damn that guy.” So that’s how it is.

 

“Just now… What did I…?” I stared ahead with my head still hurting yet it was like I blinked and the scene before me just changed. “Ren, what was that…?”

“You gave me instructions to attack.” Ren answered, sounding just as confused as I felt. “Attack? How could I do that? I don’t know any attacks!” Then again, just a moment ago I feel as though my mouth had moved on its own but I don’t remember what I even said…

“Aoba, he’s coming again. Instructions.”

I shot my gaze to Ren utterly at a lost. “Even if you ask, I…” This wasn’t the time to argue. Ren wouldn’t lie to me. So that means I must have actually commanded him to do something. I close my eyes feeling my head throb. “…Ren… Defense.”

“Understood.”

I frown but it was simply a logical response. Right? Something though was telling me that wasn’t it. There was a familiar sense giving instructions…

“DEMOLISH set!”

Ren moved in front of me with a hand out like he was putting up some invisible wall. But they still came at us, hard and fast, before I felt my conscious slip.

 

“Main body of enemy’s defense wall, 100% damage.”

The man sighed. “…I guess it was useless to expect more. Let’s go.”

Usagimodoki began calling back the others in a withdrawal. What a disappointment after what he’d read up. Maybe the guys Sly Blue faced before were just a bunch of weak punks. “Wait!” Usagi suddenly cried out, bringing up the opponents data screen. “Main body of enemy’s defense wall, recovering at amazing speed! 40, 50… 70, 90!”

The man frowned and took a look for himself. That can’t be happening. “What’s going on?” And suddenly a chill went through his spine. “Alert! Alert! Danger! Danger!”

There was no time to react. Only listen to the words striking right through the core of his mind.

_“Destruction and death.”_

 

…Ugh.

My head hurts…

What…

What happened…?

Am I… on the ground?

I endure the pain in my whole body, gather some strength in both arms, and prop myself up. I stagger and almost fall again, but I manage to somehow stay standing. I press a hand to my forehead, trying to arrange my confused memories. Barely, just barely the image of a man wearing a cartoony rabbit’s head appeared in my mind and I think there was something about Rhyme too but…

Looking up I suddenly realize, “I’m… in front of the shop?” I’ve seen it every day so I can’t be wrong. I really am… standing in front of Heibon. But why? Didn’t I go out for a delivery?

When I look around, I see a lump of dark blue fur lying on the ground. “Ren!” I run up to him immediately and embrace him. There’s no reaction. I push on Ren’s head lightly and try calling him.

After a short pause, Ren opens his eyes. “…Aoba.”

I feel relieved from the bottom of my heart after seeing him safe. “Are you okay?” I still ask just to make sure.

“There are no large problems in particular.”

“Really? You’re not broken anywhere?”

“Some data is damaged.” He answers and I balk a moment, “Isn’t that enough of a problem? I’ll examine you once we get home, okay?”

“To be on the safe side, please do.”

I sigh lightly and rub my head, “I guess you’re not the only one feeling a bit off… I remember fighting with that guy with the rabbit head, but how did it turn out?”

“My data from then on is also damaged.”

At that I close my eyes, endure the headache, and search my memory. But the more I try to remember, the more it feels like the memories run farther away. “…It’s useless. I can’t remember anything…”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. If the average man’s storage capacity is assumed to be one-hundred, Aoba’s capacity would be…”

“Are we really having this conversation again?” I end up laughing anyway until… I found my vision spinning. It was making me dizzy. I glance down to Ren again and blink, “…Ren, you… since when did you have eight legs…?” My legs give out.

“Aoba!” I hear Ren cry out before I feel his soft tongue against my face.

What is this…? Where’d the ground go? What…?

“Wait here.” Ren runs off somewhere. I watch him as he leaves. It looks like there is three of him and I unconsciously laugh. Hey, now he has three heads. How funny…

…My consciousness broke off there.

***

After I passed out in front of the shop, Ren called Haga-san and he let me rest in the shop for a while. Even though I lost the bag I was suppose to deliver, Haga-san said with his usual smile that I could go home for today. I decided to depend on Haga-san’s kindness and obediently went home.

It seems like Granny isn’t home yet, and the house is dark. I turn on the lights to the dark entrance hall, enter the corridor, and walk into the kitchen. I take a pill for my headache from the shelf and drink more water than usual. The pills should technically be taken after a meal, but my top priority is to calm down this headache.

Maybe it was the relief of being home, but I suddenly feel so tired that it becomes difficult to walk. I want to fall asleep on the spot, but I make my way up to my room on the second floor first. I take Ren out of the bag and put him on the bed. After removing my jacket I lay down next to him.

I lost the bag I was supposed to deliver, and after that I even left work early…

Haga-san’s smile and consideration were great, but a sense of guilt flocks to me just for remembering it. “What am I doing…?” This is all because of that weird guy. And… Rhyme.

Is it really worth hyping up and becoming so addicted to it?

I slowly sit up while remembering the game-like space I was sent to, and I only feel worse. I guess the medicine hasn’t kicked in yet because the headache isn’t going away. I’ll try something else. I take the headphones I threw together with my jacket and put them on.

Selecting my favorite music from my Coil, I close my eyes, leaving my body to the flowing music. Whenever I’m restless or feeling unwell for whatever reason, this method always helps me get relaxed again. I become immersed in the rhythm and tempo of the music, my own breathing and heartbeat. They tune together little by little, melting and eventually becoming one surging wave.

The whirlpool of melody wraps around my body and strokes it softly. The sound permeates my skin, mingles with my blood, and flows throughout me. Lights of all colors dance in my head like a soft film. It feels pleasant and I slowly calm down. It was like telling myself that only I was allowed here, that this is a place only for me, and I felt peaceful.

The discord of pain in my head and discomfort in my body becomes distant, and only the quiet sound of my own breathing leaves me. I feel like I’m sinking more deeply than usual today. If I fall asleep like this, all that’s left is to wait for a calm awakening.

…A sound?

I open my eyes slightly, but with my consciousness so hazy I can’t tell what it is for sure. I give up on thinking straight and close my eyes again.


	4. Gas Mask

Something hurts.

It feels like something sharp is poking me…

“Wake up, sleepyhead! Hey, come on!”

What the heck? I know that voice…

“I’m telling you to wake up! I’ll hit you, moron!”

You’re already hitting me. Enough already! “Mmh, that hurts!” I jump up in defiance of my persistent attacker, and the thing poking my face falls down. I reflexively grab it with both hands. “Oh, Beni.”

“Aagh, let go of me! How can you treat a guest this way?!” Beni flaps his wings in my hands and gives me a sharp glare. If he’s here though then that means…

“Is Koujaku here too?”

“Isn’t that obvious?! Let me go!”

I stand up from the bed shifting Beni to one hand.

Huh? Where’s Ren?

I look for him and see him lying in the corner of the bed in sleep mode. Oh yeah, he said some data was damaged. I have to do some maintenance on him later. But I want to eat something first.

I feel better after sleeping for a while. Even the headache’s gone. There’s some pain in my joints, but it’s not so bad that I can’t walk.

When I step out of the room, a delicious smell drifts in from downstairs. Granny’s back. I look at my Coil and see that it’s already time for dinner. “Is it already this late?”

“You almost didn’t wake up, and I got angry. Do you finally get it now?” Ignoring Beni’s complaints, I head down the stairs and look into the kitchen. Koujaku sits at the dining table, and the room is filled with an appetizing smell. Granny is standing in the kitchen nearby. When Koujaku sees me, he grins, tail wagging.

“Yo, morning there.”

“…Morning.”

“Looking super cool as usual, I see.” Koujaku teases. “…No thanks to you.” A yawn leaks out against my will. “Here.” I toss Beni, who I was still holding from earlier, at Koujaku. Koujaku catches him skillfully. “I even went to the trouble of waking you up and you still treat me badly! Don’t look down on me, Aoba!” Beni protested but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. “Direct your complaints at your master. Doesn’t he make you run his errands?”

“Can’t help it. You’re a real grump when you’ve just woken up.” Laughed Koujaku.

“That’s not true.” I retorted.

“Aoba.” Granny interrupted, “If you’re up, help a little! The meal’s ready, so get chopsticks and tea!”

“Okay, okay.” Granny’s yelling forces me to hurry to the shelf. Koujaku just laughs cheerfully. “No matter how many times I visit, you never change Tae-san. I feel relieved just hearing your energetic voice.”

I snort at his claim. “I dare you to be yelled at every day. It’s pretty hard.” Koujaku laughs even more happily while I put the chopsticks down on the table. I pour tea into three teacups as Granny arranges the plates containing the freshly-made dishes on the table. All the preparations for dinner are complete, and I sit at the table with everyone. “Thank you for the food.” We all chant and then dig in. Today’s dinner is fish boiled with salt, stir fried konbu, and pork.

I try the pork and find myself instantly content. A meal after you’ve slept away your exhaustion is delicious. Really delicious. As I realize this, Koujaku watches Granny with a smile while chewing. “It’s really good. It’s no surprise though, seeing as Tae-san’s cooking is absolutely the best.”

“Hmph. How can you say that when you decided to come over out of the blue?” Grams snorts, prompting Koujaku to turn to me with a raised brow, “Didn’t I tell Aoba I was coming?” He asked Grams but his stare was still on me. “You said you were coming over at some point.” I retort.

“And you kept sleeping like a log. You wouldn’t get up no matter how many times you were called.” Granny mentioned without looking my way. She didn’t need to. “That was… well, I guess that’s true…” I hang my head until Koujaku speaks up again in praise of the meal. “Don’t misunderstand. There was some food that was going to expire soon, so this was a good chance to use them now.” Granny informed but Koujaku just kept smiling anyway, “That’s why I love you, Tae-san.”

“Just shut up.” Granny snorts roughly and stuffs her mouth with konbu. For some reason, Granny seems to really like Koujaku. He came to this island with his mother but it was actually common for him to be alone. That’s why he often hangs out with me, and comes over to my house. Of course, he eats lots of Granny’s home made cooking too.

If I know Grams, she’s definitely thinking that she has a second grandchild now.

“Are you staying the night?” Granny asks this while raising a brow. Koujaku stops his hand that was stuffing food into his mouth and nods without hesitation. “That’s what I had in mind.”

“Really, would it kill you to have some shame?”

“Well, it’s the same as always.” I cut in, “But I have work, so even if you’re sleeping I’ll slap you awake.”

“But isn’t it the opposite? I’ve always woken you up even though you almost won’t wake up at all.” Koujaku laughs and Beni agrees while giving me a look. Probably for earlier. “…You guys…” After I flash an irritated smile their way, Koujaku went back to eating. We exchanged silly conversations between the three of us and, through our lovely dinner, time passed.

 

I take a shower after the meal and cover my damp hair with a towel on my shoulders and proceed to the living room. I peep inside to see Granny watching TV while drinking tea. Koujaku isn’t there. “Where’s Koujaku?” I ask. “He went upstairs. He’s probably in your room.” Grams answers without taking her eyes off the TV. “I see. Ah, by the way, Granny.”

“What?”

“Whenever I have a headache, I take my medicine like normal. But lately it’s not as effective as it used to be.”

Granny turns towards me. She told me to report anything regarding the headaches no matter what it is. “It hasn’t worked at all?” She asks and I shake my head, “Not like that, but it feels like it’s not as effective as before.”

“Is that so? Then let’s try changing the formula a bit.”

“I’m counting on you.” When I bow deeply, Grams snorts and returns to the TV. I leave the living room and go upstairs. Multiple places in my body throb in pain even when lifting only my foot. Though there are no visible cuts or bruises, the very core of my body possesses a dull ache.

Was this cause of the Rhyme thing…?

“Even though the fighting happened in my head, it still hurts pretty badly…” I mumble to myself and hazily remember Ren mention that there was control over damage level. Is that even possible? I endure the pain, make my way up the stairs, and go into my room.

Koujaku’s not here. Neither is Ren.

I thought that was the case at first, but then I found the door leading to the veranda slightly open. When I look out at the veranda, I see Koujaku leaning on the handrail. He looks down at the nightlife with a calm expression, holding a thin cigarette between his fingers while white smoke escapes from his slightly narrowed lips.

Koujaku would never smoke in my room. For some reason, he would only ever do it on the veranda. He doesn’t smoke in front of girls or during work, or even when he’s at a bar, he only smokes here.

I don’t know the reason, but maybe he feels like he can actually relax here. Koujaku never shows such a dim expression outside. He’s always confidently smiling. That’s how he presents himself. He seems like he’s usually having fun with women, but I wonder if that itself is unexpectedly exhausting. Koujaku’s hand carries the cigarette to his lips. In the dark, his fingers look extremely long and beautiful. He does hair every day, so he should be skillful with his fingers. They’re bony and masculine; it’s strange that I find them beautiful. I see Koujaku holding Ren, who has Beni on his head. Both of them seem to be in sleep mode.

I’m afraid that they’ll fall off the handrail, but I trust Koujaku to hold onto them. I pick up the ash tray in my room and open the door to the veranda.

Koujaku’s absent-minded eyes catch me and a loose smile appears on his mouth. “Yo. Finished with the bath?”

“I thought you were in the living room.”

“Aah. Felt like having a little of this.” Koujaku lightly raises the hand holding the cigarette and I smile. “You really like it here, don’t you?”

“Really? Maybe.” Koujaku shrugs.

“Even though you can’t see anything.” I state while looking out the veranda too and Koujaku shrugs again, “I guess… but does it really matter if you can see anything or not?”

“Does it? I don’t really get you sometimes.”

Koujaku exhales and laughs unexpectedly. I hold out the ash tray and he puts his shortened cigarette into it. I lower it next to my feet and lean on the handrail next to him. As soon as Koujaku sees me next to him, he frowns. “Aoba, not again…”

I raise my brow at him and he nods toward me, “Your hair. I keep saying you have to dry it a little better.” Koujaku reaches out towards me.

Is he going to touch my hair…?

I flinch back reflectively.

But instead of catching my hair, he grabs my nose. “Guah!”

“Really, with the line of work I’m in, I can’t help but care about your hair.”

“Stop it!” When I shake my head to escape, Koujaku smiles happily. “Your hair has grown a lot. Are you still cutting it on your own every once in a while?”

“A little, yeah. I don’t want to have to see a professional. Doing it myself is enough.” I answer, rubbing my freed nose.

“Well, it’s not that bad? Everything seems to be in the right place.”

I raise a brow again, “Really?” Then I clap my hands together in an exaggerated manner, “Kyaa, Koujaku-san complimented me, I’m so totally happy.”

Koujaku blinks, “Why the sarcastic tone?”

“An imitation of your fans.” I snicker. “Oh, you.” Koujaku chuckles.

I won’t let anyone snip my hair for a reason. Ever since I was born, there’s been a sense of feeling in my hair. That’s why cutting my hair with scissors hurts, so I don’t do it. Although below the shoulder, the feeling becomes blunt so I can snip there somehow.

Ever since I was a kid, I was teased that I looked like a girl because of it. Since I could also feel when it was being touched, they would pull on my hair and ears as a joke… It was hell. They bullied me because they thought it was funny. But when they did, Koujaku always saved me. Though, it seems Koujaku thought I was a girl in the beginning.

When he found out I was a boy, he was considerably surprised. But Koujaku’s attitude didn’t change after that. And I was pretty happy about it.

“You have such beautiful hair, so you have to take good care of it.” Koujaku commented. I smile uneasily at the compliment, “I’ve always thought so, but you say that so often and so easily. That hasn’t changed about you from the old days at all.”

“I only say it because I mean it. And you used to be so bashfully happy when I complimented you…” Koujaku makes an overly dramatic glance off into the distance, and I throw him another glare. “That’s when I was a kid. I don’t remember.” I wipe my wet hair and a blunt pain runs all the way down to my shoulders. I am soon reminded of the pain throughout the rest of my body.

Koujaku takes notice of it. “What’s the matter?”

“No, it’s nothing.” I try to brush it off but Koujaku frowns. “It doesn’t look like nothing. Come to think of it, you looked pretty tired a while ago too.”

“Ah…”

“What is it? No need to go putting up a front.”

“It’s not like that.”

What should I do? Should I tell Koujaku about the incident? A little bit of hesitation pops up. In these kinds of situations, Koujaku has a strangely sharp sense of intuition. He’s already watching me with doubtful eyes. Even if I try to lie now, he won’t buy it…

“Well, about today. I had a strange experience. Well, how should I say this? I was pulled into Rhyme…”

“Pulled into Rhyme?” Koujaku leaned in closer as I nod, “It happened suddenly. I was on a delivery, and before I knew it I was standing on a Rhyme field.”

“You’re not talking about a dream, right?”

“No.”

“So in other words… Wait, is that even possible?”

I shrug my shoulders lightly, “I didn’t really get it either, but it was close to your territory. That narrow alley there.”

Koujaku frowns as he looks away in thought, “I haven’t heard anything like that before…”

“There were some other strange things too. Usui wasn’t there.” I continue to recount what I can. “That’s strange. It’s responsible for holding Rhyme games, right? That strange device appears with it and all.”

“Isn’t it? And…” I tell Koujaku about the rabbit head… After some hesitation I also include the fact that he knew my name. After earnestly listening to my story, Koujaku groans. “What he did to you, was it… Wasn’t it like a Drive-By?”

“A Drive-By?” Hadn’t I heard that term somewhere?

“I’ve only heard this from my team mates, and I don’t know the details but… there seem to be guys who are able to set up a Rhyme game without Usui. Because their Rhyme fields don’t have rules or limits, there seem to be cases where the pulled in opponents are left half dead.” Koujaku explains and it rings bells in my head. “Then, was my opponent one of those Drive-Byers too?”

“There’s the possibility. However…” Koujaku scowls, “It makes me sick.”

“What does?” I ask and he turns to me again. “I’m relieved that you managed to escape this time, but what happens if you get pulled in again? Wouldn’t that be extremely dangerous?”

“But I haven’t even done Rhyme before so why… Why did he mistake me for someone else?”

Koujaku only shrugs, “There’s the possibility that he didn’t care who he challenged. Or it might’ve been someone who held a huge grudge against you.”

“No way. I’m not you.” I huff and Koujaku laughed lightly, “How cruel.” Then his smile dropped again, “But he knew your name, right?”

“Well… that’s right.” I nod and when Koujaku doesn’t say anything I lightly call him but he keeps silent with a troubled face. After a while, I hear a small sigh. “…Sorry. I think I’ll just go home for today. I remembered I had to do something.”

“Oh? Okay, I see.”

Koujaku pushes off from the handrail and stands in front of me. “Are you really okay?”

I nod.

“I’ll believe you then. If something happens, tell me right away.”

I smile at his concern and nod again, “I know.” He ends up smiling back at our agreement, “Good.” And gently he hands Ren over to me. He then picks up Beni and puts him in his pocket. “See ya. Good night.”

“Yeah.”

Koujaku raises his hand in farewell and leaves the room. I shut the door leading to the veranda and return to the room, lower Ren to the bed and lay down next to him. “Rhyme… huh.” Did I encounter a Driver-Byer after all?

When it happened, Ren appeared in his online mode form. He also fought according to instructions he said I gave. “…Something, set… What was it?” During Rhyme, my mouth moved on its own like something had taken over my body. What was that? But that feeling… I feel like I know it.

I don’t know why I think so but, it’s like…

It resembled a feeling that I have when I entice customers to the store…

That feeling when I know what to say to make others do what I want.

Have Drive-Byers always appeared so frequently? Let’s do a little research. Although I don’t want to get involved too deeply…

Just then a message comes in and I open my Coil. It was an ad message about new Allmate models. They appear one after another. I briefly look over the contents then close the Coil screen. I’ve always been so attached to things that I never want to give them up, but not everyone else is like that.

…That’s right. I have to check Ren’s condition. I’m worried about the damage he took.

I get up and reseat myself on the bed, put the blue lump on my knees, and start him up. He calls my name like normal and I greet him in return. “I’ll examine you a bit now.” Because Ren is an old model, restoration would be trouble if a full-scale malfunction appeared. He has to be frequently maintained and checked.

I hold a long cable starting from the desktop computer and push aside Ren’s neck fur to connect the cable to the port. Starting up a touch browser with the Coil, the interface that supervises Ren’s engine is displayed. “Hm… The reaction speed of the reflection’s decreased a bit.” I grab a tool box that I’d thrown on the floor, remove the lid, take out a 10cm square screwdriver, and push aside Ren’s fur again.

Although Allmates can fundamentally be fixed through the touch browser’s control panel, Ren is an old model, and I need to look inside of him too.

I take stock of the new chips out of the tool box and use tweezers to replace Ren’s old chip with a new one. “This should be enough.” I close the lid and control panel, remove the cable, and lift Ren into my arms. “How is it? Any place you’re not feeling well?”

Ren is quiet for a moment before answering, “There is some sense of incongruity. However, it’s within the allowable range.”

“I see. Well, I only changed the chip. Tell me right away if any malfunction appears.”

“Understood.”

I stroke Ren’s back as he answers me, and place my forehead to his tiny one. I forget how long it’s been since we started to do this, but I make sure to do this every time I do maintenance on Ren. It’s like a charm. “Thank you, as always.” I murmur.

“The pleasure is mine.” He answers back.

“I’ll count on you in the future too.”

“The pleasure is mine.”

“…You always answer like that.” I remark with a light laugh. “Is it strange?” He asks and I shake my head, “No, not really. I just think it’s a bit funny.” Ren lowers his head, making me wonder what he’s thinking when suddenly he lifts his dark eyes back to mine and says, “I’m grateful to you five million times over, baby.”

What the heck?

The question must have been in my expression because Ren explained, “I tried to change the wording a little, how was it?”

“…Pft. Ahahaha!”

“Aoba?”

“Hahaha, no, I’m sorry. You’re better off being how you’ve always been.” I try to subdue my laughter but it keeps bubbling out with the words repeating in my head. Putting our foreheads together one more time, I lower Ren to the bed.

Ren is always the same. No matter what, he’ll be by my side. After that, I place my tools in order and leisurely spend time talking with Ren about everything.

***

The next day, when I go to work at Heibon as usual, Haga-san is organizing the stock. I leave my bag behind the counter and put down Ren before going over to Haga-san immediately. I have to properly apologize for yesterday…

“Boss.”

“Yes?” Haga-san turns to me. “I’m sorry about yesterday’s delivery.”

“Eh? Aah, no, no, don’t worry about it anymore…” As he says that, his expression clouds. I’m surprised to see that. Maybe after I lost the package he was yelled at by the customer…?

If so, then it’s my fault.

“Um, I’m really sorry. I’d like to apologize to the customer too if possible…”

Haga-san sighs, “Oh, yes. About that.” He pushes up his glasses with a troubled face. “Since yesterday’s delivery was done with pre-payment, I wanted to ask if he wanted a refund or a re-delivery, and tried to contact him in various ways. I even tried to contact the control center, but it was completely useless.”

“Useless?”

“Yes. I couldn’t contact him at all. Since the sender and recipient were the same I tried checking the address, but a person with a completely different name lived there… And he said he didn’t remember ordering any goods.”

I blink. “In other words, was it a prank?” I ask even though it is rather obvious and Haga-san nods while questioning the kind of person who’d want to do such a thing. One person comes to my mind instantly.

But it was already paid, making it a loss for the other party. Why would anyone do something like that? I tilt my head together with Haga-san before he sighs again. “It’s fine as is… but it still doesn’t feel right.”

“Yeah…”

I was pulled into Rhyme during that delivery. Suspicion continues to drift through the air but it suddenly becomes time to open shop. “Oops, have to get to work.” Haga-san hurries out of the shop. I feel somewhat unpleasant… and no matter how hard I think about it I don’t understand it, so I’ll have to give up for now. “Alright. I have some work to do too.”

I decide to change my mood and return to the counter.

The morning passes with no incidents in particular, and after finishing lunch break, the afternoon shift starts. Since Haga-san went out, I’m the only one in the shop. “Yes… Yes. Well then, we look forward to hearing from you again.” After finishing an incoming call from a customer, I take a breather.

Since he reacted to my voice with the usual pattern, I was able to sell just as many things.

It seemed like he was one of those who had called before, and he was reluctant to hang up the phone, so it was a little troublesome. While I feel disgusted by the excited voice that still lingers in my ears, the doorbell rings.

Oh, a customer?

I take my elbow off the counter and straighten myself up. Oh no.

“Hiya, Aoba.” Greeted Kio. “Aoba, we came to plaaaay.” Nao grinned ear to ear while Mio simply set her hands on her hips with a huff.

“…It’s you guys.” I was not in the mood to deal with these guys today. With an exaggerated sigh, I rest my elbow on the counter again and give the kids a sharp glare. “You just came to do stupid stuff again. Go home already.”

“Aoba, you’re annoying.” Kio snorted as Nao pitched in his agreement and Mio added in, “You just stay quiet now, alright?”

Those brats…

They spot Bonjin-kun and immediately start chasing him. The confused Allmate quickly moves to escape. Bonjin-kun is quite clever for an Allmate, so he can move unexpectedly fast and his evasion ability is also high. It’s not easy to catch him. But that’s probably what keeps the brats chasing after him anyway. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t run!”

They ignore me as usual. As they rush past a shelf it starts to wobble. I decide to stop this chaotic scene by force but I’m one step too late.

“No waaaay! Something broke!” Cried Mio staring at the box that fallen over and it sounded like glass was inside it. “It broke!” Nao parroted his sister and I grit my teeth, “Don’t you ‘it broke’ me! You brats!!”

“Waah! Aoba got angry!” Kio yelped. “I hate quick-tempered men!” Mio stated but I was past hearing it. “Shut up! …You! Hey! You too!” I catch the trio by the collar of their shirts, drag them to the door, and throw them out. “How cruel! You’re awful!” whined Mio.

“Shut up, shut up! When you make an adult angry, it can get scary.” I put my hands on my hips and make an “intimidating teacher” pose while glaring at the brats. “Geez, you’re always causing trouble. Try reflecting a little and go home already.”

Kio puffs his cheeks at me and grumbles, “So annoying! Shut up, stupid!”

“Stupid Aoba!” Nao yells.

“You’re so lame, you old geezer!” Mio chips in and I feel my brow twitch. “…You little… brats!!” I take a giant step toward them and they take off tail between legs screaming.

Well I’m doing a fine job becoming the unpopular grandpa.

If those kids just had the capacity for even a tiny bit of cute in them…

And now I have to clean the mess they left…

Sheesh…

I turn to head back inside until I thought I heard something. Just now…

“Whoooa!” S-something just fell all of the sudden! A person… fell from the sky?

From the physique, it appears to be a man. I can’t see his face because his head is facing the other way.

Is he…

He isn’t dead, right…?

Just when I wonder that the man moans and stands up. I’m relieved, but soon I find myself frozen in place again. He’s wearing… a gas mask?

“…Ah, that surprised me.” The man scratches his hair, fuzzy ears twitching with one flopped, and he looks around frantically.

He seems to be fine, but…

Isn’t he injured or something? And why is he wearing a mask? Falling down from above is really weird, and no matter how you look at him he seems obviously suspicious.

As I stand petrified, the gas mask guy turns and faces towards me. I reflexively stop blinking and breathing. Don’t come over here…

If I stand still maybe he will move on.

But wishing that was futile, and the gas mask guy briskly approaches me, tail wagging. “Master, I’m okay.”

“…Huh?”

Master?

“I heard Master’s voice, so I came.”

…What’s this guy talking about?

“Is something wrong?” He asks.

“No, um… I think you’re mistaking me for someone else.”

“Mistaking you for someone else?”

“I’m not anyone’s Master.”

He shakes his head, “No, Master is Master.”

Oh come on now, “No, you’re wrong. I don’t even know you.”

Again he shakes his head. “That’s not true. I’m Clear, the one who carried you here yesterday.”

“You carried me yesterday?” Now that he mentions it… After being in Rhyme, I woke up lying here for some reason. “Wait… Were you the one who pulled me into Rhyme?” That guy had his face covered with a mask, and I felt like his clothes were similar too.

But the one before me shakes his head once more. “No, that was not me. But I thought that Master was Master and I carried you here.”

…His story doesn’t quite make sense.

“I heard Master’s voice yesterday. Destruction and death.”

The words send a chill through my spine. “…What?” I’ve heard that somewhere…

“Why do you know those words… Guh?!!” Suddenly the gas mask guy takes hold of both of my cheeks and pulls them apart. “Ow, ow! Thah hurs!”

“Master seems different from yesterday. It’s hard to explain what, but if I had to say something, I remember your face and voice being scruffier.” While pinching my cheeks, the guy keeps turning my head.

Who does he think he is?!

“Ih hurss! Leggo!”

“Okay.” The gas mask guy quickly releases me.

Damn, that hurt…

What’s up with this guy?!

He pinched my cheeks without holding back, and now it stings. While I rub my cheeks with watery eyes, the gas mask guy tilts his head. “I’ll ask again, but you really are Master, right?”

“I already told you, I’m not!”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

Calm down… If you let him get to you, it’s just what he wants. I stand silently irritated and take a deep breath in order to calm myself. If this guy really is the rabbit head from yesterday, I have to catch him and question him.

He seems like an idiot now, but if he gets angry won’t his true nature come out?

I can’t do it in Rhyme, but if this becomes a fight in the real world, I’ll manage somehow. I’ll just try irritating him a little… “…Hey!” As soon as I finish my yell, I throw a kick at the man’s behind.

“Ahh!” The gas mask guy leans back and holds his buttocks with both hands. “Please, Master… Stop it!!”

“…Wha?”

The gas mask guy sinks to the ground. “Please stop, Master… I can’t… break anymore than this.”

…Yeah.

This guy isn’t him. Definitely not him.

I’ll just quickly finish up here and return to work. “Anyway I’m not your Master. I have work to do so I’m going back. Bye.”

“What should I do?”

“Go home!”

The gas mask guy nods obediently, stands, and digs through his pocket with his right hand. What he takes out is… A vinyl umbrella? “What are you going to do with that umbrella you pulled out?” I end up asking and the guy tilts his head, “Oh, what do you mean?”

“Um, that thing you’re holding, that’s an umbrella, right?”

“Yes, it is. What about it?”

“It’s not raining now or anything. Why did you take it out?”

He seems to contemplate it for a moment, tilting his head to the sky, “Rain… Ah! It’s true that when water falls from the sky on rainy days, if you take an umbrella with you, you won’t get wet!

“I think I’ll try that next time. Thank you very much. Well then, I’ll be going.”

Even though it still isn’t raining, he opens the umbrella, turns around, and leaves. “…What just happened?” I stare at the man’s back in utter amazement. “…I’ll just go back in.” For some reason… I have the feeling I’ve been made fun of by a tanuki or a kitsune or something.

I didn’t see anything.

…Yeah, not a thing.

I make up my mind and return to the shop. When I return inside, I find Bonjin-kun completely out of it. “Cleaning… cleaning…?”

…That’s right. That gas mask guy made me completely forget. The shop is still in a crazy mess because of those brats…

First the kids, then the gas mask guy… Today’s just one of those days. Suddenly feeling tired, I slowly begin to put away the items that lay scattered around back in order.


	5. Intruder

After work finishes for the day, I leave the store with deliveries to Mizuki. The order came from Mizuki’s shop, so I thought about meeting him on the way home. When you go a bit north from Heibon, there’s Mizuki’s shop, “Black Needle”. It was originally a studio tattoo parlor, but since then the waiting room was turned into a bar and the parlor became a hangout spot. Even outside of Rib team members and their tag arts, tattoos have become popular, especially in casual fashion, so Mizuki’s shop was doing pretty well.

Of course, since Mizuki is a tattooist, he’s asked if he could tattoo me. I’m not interested so I won’t do it.

I walk into the darkening town and arrive near Black Needle. This area is Dry Juice’s territory. I notice some of the members walking around. When I was with Mizuki I became acquainted with the members too, so they won’t bother me when I walk through their territory.

“Aah, Aoba-san.” Just then a guy with dirty blonde hair approached, he reminded me of a golden retriever with his features. “Hey, long time no see.” I greet back. He takes notice of the package I’m carrying and asks, “Business with Mizuki-san?”

“Our shop got an order. I came to deliver it.”

The guy smiles and points over his shoulder, “Mizuki-san’s at our hangout.”

“Got it. I’ll try going there then.” I can never quite catch this guy’s name but I thank him anyway. The hangout isn’t far from here. I decide to head over there. The Dry Juice hangout is an area that branches out into several alleys. Because of the large number of people, their hangout area is spread pretty far. While members hung out in each alley, Mizuki would always be standing in one place.

In front of stairs where their huge tag art is drawn, Mizuki is talking with other members, his ermine resting on his shoulders. When he notices me, Mizuki beckons me to come closer with his hand.

“Nice to see you again! Heibon’s delivery service here.” I call out dramatically, holding the package over my head. “Oh, the things I asked for? Thanks.” I pass him the bag and send the receipt with my Coil. I receive a confirmation reply from Mizuki, and with that the delivery is done. “Thanks for doing this. Your shop even has minor parts for stuff, so it’s worth it to rely on you.” He smiled. “I’ll tell that to the boss.”

“Are you going home after this?”

“Yeah.”

“Good job.” Mizuki nodded before gesturing me to come follow him, “I’m going back to my shop now, come and have a drink.”

“Well, if you insist.” I laugh with a playful shrug of my shoulders. Mizuki begins to walk away from the wall and I follow after him. The surrounding members greet Mizuki as he passes them. Among them are guys who bow as low as 90 degrees and Mizuki gives them wary smiles.

 

Black Needle is a dark building with a small sign placed where it won’t attract attention. When the door is opened and we head inside, I’m greeted by music playing at a nice tempo. The bar that served as a waiting room was larger than one would imagine just from seeing the size of the shop. In the dim lighting, several people sit sunken into a sofa, reading a magazine or talking in whispers.

Reception on the left side, bar counter on the right, and the door leads to the back room where tattoos were done.

Mizuki talks with a young part-timer at the reception desk. In the meantime, I look around at the state of the shop. “Not as many customers today?” When I casually ask this to Mizuki after he finishes talking with the part-timer, his expression turns bitter. “That’s right…” He mumbles while absentmindedly petting his ermine’s head.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, you know. We talked about it the other day, remember? The mysterious disappearances.”

I nod.

“I think the decrease in customers is also due to that.” He states and I feel a frown of confusion take place with my rising brow. “What? Like everyone’s scared and stopped going outside?” I ask.

“I think the influence isn’t quite that strong yet, but…” Mizuki looks off before looking at me again, “Overall, it’s growing, or at least it feels like it.”

“I see.”

“After that, we got some information again. But I can’t tell the truth from the lies at all.” With a serious expression Mizuki urges me to lend an ear. I bring my face closer to him, letting my ears tilt down. “They’re saying it really was Morphine abducting the teams.” He whispers. I unconsciously let out a sigh before I could hold it back. “That’s not possible. Morphine is…”

“There are apparently some guys who have seen Morphine.” Mizuki insists.

I’m still rather skeptical on the matter however. “Isn’t that some random remark of some idiot who wants attention? You believe that?”

Mizuki frowns and I worry that I’ve insulted him somehow as he goes on, “That’s why I said I don’t know if it’s true or not. I only heard of it from some people.” He lets out a sigh, “Anyway, now all Rib teams are growing uneasy with the fear of a surprise attack. But.” Mizuki then raises the edges of his mouth defiantly. “Morphine or whatever it is, it doesn’t concern our team. They won’t be a threat.”

“Right?” I smile to that. Yet I remember a faint anxiety. I feel like Mizuki’s been putting a little too much effort into Rib recently. I hope he doesn’t collapse or something…

“Oh right, let’s drink something. Let’s go over here.”

When I walk towards the bar with Mizuki, a tattoo design displayed by the reception desk catches my eyes. It’s carefully put in a frame. “Was this here before?”

Mizuki turns to where I am looking and beams, “Oh, that. No, I got that from a tattooist I respect. Cool, isn’t it?” I tilt my head a little looking over the design. I suppose it is an interesting concept.

“He’s a famous person said to have God’s skills but he doesn’t have a shop. If he doesn’t personally know you, he won’t tattoo you.”

“So he refuses strangers?” How does he make any money doing that?

Mizuki nods. “That’s right. A little while ago he came to this shop by chance, and I got it then. He really was a person with an unusual aura after all.” Mizuki seems to be extremely happy. He really likes that picture. I smirk. “If he’s that amazing, I’d like to see him once too.”

“But I thought you didn’t want a tattoo, right?”

“Yup.”

“In that case, no way.” Mizuki huffs and I balk at him. “If you want to know why, it’d cost you one million yen.” He states with a wide grin and I balk even more. “That’s some serious overcharging!”

Mizuki’s laughter causes me to laugh with him in our joking around until the ringtone of my Coil sounds. It was a call from Delivery Works. “Hello?”

“Ah, thank goodness it went through! Aoba-chan?!” Yoshie-san sounds rather stressed…

“Yes?” I answer cautiously.

“It’s me, me! Yoshie!”

Hoping it would calm her I try to keep a soothe tone. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh my, it’s serious! Very serious! Please listen to me and don’t panic, okay?”

It’s kind of hard not to panic when you are… “…Okay.”

“Tae-san has…!”

My heart flies into my throat. “Grams?!”

 

Granny had fallen down. After I hung up the phone call from Yoshie-san, I explained the situation to Mizuki and hurried out to Delivery Works. She fell down on her way to a patient’s house where she was going to deliver some medicine that she had prescribed. She was then taken to Delivery Works which happened to be nearby.

I ran at full speed.

My heart felt like it was about to explode and I had no breath left. My whole body is tense, my fingers and toes tingling. Granny’s collapsed from overwork before.

It was because of… me.

I t was because I made her worry all the time.

I honestly regret what happened back then. When I think of actually losing Granny, I get so scared it makes me tremble. I don’t want to think about it ever again. Never again.

I-I have to get to Grams quickly…!

Granny…!

“You people are just exaggerating things.”

…That’s the first thing I hear when I rush into Delivery Works. I see Granny leaning back in a chair. After seeing that… I almost collapse on the spot.

Granny had certainly fallen down. It turns out she can’t move at all… In other words, she dislocated her hip. Apparently Yoshie-san had seen Granny in pain and was frightened to death.

As soon as I enter the shop, she apologizes earnestly.

Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed to have gotten so stressed out, but… I’m also glad it’s nothing serious.

What a relief…

That said, Grams can’t walk so I have to carry her home.

“Really, you people are just exaggerating things.” Granny complains about the same thing as earlier while on my back. I walk home slowly to avoid jostling her too much. “It can’t be helped. Everyone’s worried about you Granny. I am too.”

“I’m still healthy enough.”

“I know that, but still.”

Behind us, Ren follows, tapping along with his small legs.

“When I can’t move a little you treat me like I’m going to die right away.” Grams snorts before delivering a kick to my leg. “Ow! Don’t kick me! Anyway, let’s go to the hospital tomorrow. Okay?” Since Granny is quite rowdy for her age, I’m afraid I might drop her.

And…

She was light.

I never really thought too much about it, but was she always this small? This is the first time I’d ever carried her on my back. “Thinking back, you used to be the one to carry me around.”

“Hmm?”

“I was just talking about the past.”

“…Hmph. Because you always went off on your own.”

“On my own?”

I felt Grams nod, “Yes. I would look away for a moment, and before I knew it you’d be gone.”

“Is that so? I can’t remember at all.”

“I’d get lonely.”

I blinked to that and almost looked back but kept my attention ahead so I not risk tripping over something. “Lonely? Why?”

“Because you only started to go off on your own once your parents were gone.” Granny answered. I see. My memory of my parents is hazy. But I do remember the times when Granny carried me on her back. It was warm and smelled like her. I would always calm down.

“Well, that was when you were small, so I won’t blame you. But now you’re all grown up and stupid.”

I laugh. “That’s just how it is. At this age it’s normal to act differently than you did as a kid.”

“Nobody said anything about that.” Huffs Grams and I feel a bit playful, “Granny, could you carry me on your back like the old days? A challenge, seeing as we’re both healthy enough?”

“Don’t spout nonsense. Are you trying to kill me?”

“I’m just joking.” I chuckle then get another thought. “…Granny.”

“What is it?”

“You’re light.”

“Shut your hole!”

I’m slapped hard on the side of my head. But for some reason I begin to feel happy and smile to myself. I’m so relieved that Granny’s safe. I walk silently down the darkening road, feeling Granny’s warmth on my back.

***

The next morning I carried Grams on my back again and took her to the neighborhood hospital. I thought I’d take the day off from my part-time job just in case, and called Haga-san.

Even though it was called a hospital, this is the Old Resident District, so it meant the facilities were old and small, there were few doctors, and it was always crowded. It was wearing down here and there, and it couldn’t be complimented on how sanitary it was either. But all the people in the hospital were kind. They knew Granny from before and when I called, they said we could come immediately.

Granny hated going to the hospital and always said she could take care of herself, but today she obediently underwent the medical examination.

Perhaps she had been enduring the pain out of pride.

They said her hip wasn’t that bad and it could be treated at home, so I carried Grams home after the examination. When I laid Granny on a futon and sighed, she said she’d only be sleeping so I should go to my job already. I was still worried, but once Granny begins speaking, she won’t listen to anything.

When I talked with Haga-san on the phone, and he said it was okay to come in, I decided to go to the shop.

I feel uneasy as I go into the shop but eventually I receive a message. It’s from Koujaku.

_I saw Mizuki, but something seemed strange. When I talked to him, he kept spacing out and would react. I think you’d be better off listening instead of me. If you have time, contact him. I’ll come talk about the details later._

Something must be strange if Koujaku sent me a message about it. Maybe he really is overdoing things…

I leave the counter, walk towards the restroom, and call Mizuki. “Hello? Mizuki?”

“…Aoba, huh? What’s the matter?” Good, he answered the phone. I feel a little relieved. “Ah, nothing, I don’t really have anything important to say, I just wanted to talk.” I answer back.

“What, we just saw each other yesterday. You’re a weird guy.”

I suppose it is a bit strange to just up and call him. “I was just wondering if you’re okay.”

“Course I am. Why?”

“Because when we met yesterday, I thought you didn’t seem so hot. Just a little though.”

I thought I heard something like a sigh. “So you called because you were worried. Thanks. But I’m okay.” Mizuki replied slowly. It renewed my worry. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Well then, let’s talk some more another time.”

“Right. Bye then.”

After the call, I sigh and head back to the counter. There was no life in Mizuki’s voice after all. He said he was okay, so I didn’t listen too deeply, but…

On top of Grams falling down yesterday, my worries just keep growing. I hope they’re just imaginary fears…

I spend the rest of the afternoon worrying about Mizuki and Granny, unable to concentrate on work.

When I come back home after my job, I restlessly try to open the lock on the front door. I wonder if Granny behaved herself?

…However, I stop my hand halfway. Something’s strange. When I insert the key, something feels different.

…Don’t tell me.

“…It’s open.”

The door isn’t locked. Did I go out without locking it again…?!

The bonds between the people in the community are strong but security isn’t tight, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear of thieves. I feel sick of my own forgetfulness and I enter the house, listening carefully.

…There doesn’t seem to be any sign of people. I take off my shoes and enter the corridor before heading straight to Granny’s room. I open the door quietly and peep inside to find Granny sleeping buried in the futon. Looks like nothing happened…

Heaving a sigh of relief, I return to the corridor to go up the stairs only to stop again. That strange feeling was back. It is my imagination? I twist my neck as I walk up the stairs and open the door to my room. Inside, I realize that it wasn’t just my imagination.

My room was never particularly clean. There were books and magazines piled up on the floor, and there were also many things I just left there because cleaning them up would be a pain. But… The room now was a complete mess, almost like a storm blew its way through it.

Everything has been pulled out; even the table was turned over. And in the middle of it all is the last thing I would want to see. A person sitting in front of my computer monitor. Just boldly sitting there.

“Thief!” I cry out. “What are you doing in someone else’s room?!”

The person—a neko I guess by his ears and tail—looks up slowly as if he only just realizes my presence. He seems to be about the same age as me but I’ve never seen him in my whole life.

“Welcome back.”


	6. Noiz

“Wha?! Who are you? Why are you in my room?!” I yell at the stranger but he turns his head back to the monitor without a care to my reaction. “By the way--” Outright ignoring me as I tremble with anger and he taps on the keyboard with his middle finger. “Hey! I didn’t say you could touch that!”

“I don’t understand the data inside of here at all. What’s this even supposed to be?”

Still ignoring me, this jackass!

“Even the Allmate remodeling program here is complicated. Who the hell are you?”

He’s got the nerve to be asking me that?! “Like hell I’d tell you! Get out!”

The man laughs through his nose as if he’s looking down on me and stands up. “Hey, you. Don’t you know who I am? I think you do know, though.”

What kind of statement is that? “I don’t know you at all. You’ve got the wrong guy.” I insist while thinking of a means to get him out of here without causing a dangerous situation for myself. The man looks into my eyes and opens his mouth slowly, “It is such an honor. So let’s have a fun game, shall we?”

…Where did I hear that? The recited words dance along hazy memories until one comes up clearly. The rabbit head. He’d said the same thing just before…

“Still don’t know?” The man mused and takes something out of his pants pocket. A keychain of rabbit heads, confirming my suspicion. This guy…

Satisfied with my reaction, the man drops the key chain and looks at me. “It was a pretty entertaining setup, wasn’t it? Misdirected home delivery and all.”

“You’re the one… that set that all up weren’t you? The Driver-Byer.”

“Yeah. When I investigated some old profiles I found out you worked there, so I thought I’d have you come to me.” He shrugs, “I paid in advance, so there’s no problems for the shop, right?”

“…That’s not the issue.” I recall how completely at a loss Haga-san was, and the anger wells up.

“By the way. When we did Rhyme… What did you do?” He asks suddenly, catching me off guard once again. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m asking you how you beat me.”

“…Beat you?” Did I actually beat him in that Drive-By? I can’t remember…

The man looks impatient and steps closer, “Are you deaf? Say something.”

“I don’t remember.” It was all I could answer with. But it didn’t satisfy him in the slightest. “What?”

“I can’t remember a thing about what happened during Rhyme…”

The man frowns a little, but immediately forms a straight face again. “So you’re trying to get out of it, huh?” Suddenly, he grabs me by the coat collar and presses me against the wall. This guy’s stronger than he looks! “Then I’ll have to use force. It seems to be the most effective way for you.”

“Let me go!” I shove at his hand but he won’t budge. “You really don’t remember?” He asks quietly and I’m about to punch this guy in the mouth if he doesn’t back off. “I don’t remember!”

The man stares into my eyes intently as if he’s trying to find something. “Fight me in Rhyme one more time.” He finally says. More like demands.

“Wha? I don’t know how to do Rhyme.” I’m pressed against the wall with even more force. “Still going to say that?” He growls. “Then I’ll destroy what’s important to you.” His lime green eyes look at my computer, suggesting something. He means to harm Ren…

I wanted to avoid a dangerous situation and yet here I was in it. Even now I still don’t feel like fighting him in Rhyme. And frankly this behavior of his is ridiculous! “…Give me a break!” I raise my knee to kick the man but because of my awkward position, the attack fails and he guards it with one hand.

He pulls the leg he caught, and I fall down sliding along the wall. While I endure the pain that hit straight to my back, the man sits on my stomach. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Shut up.”

With an indifferent expression, the man holds my arm and suddenly twists it. “You can still do Rhyme with only one hand.” He states as I cry out in pain. “If you don’t want a broken arm, fight me.” My arm creaks, bent backwards and twisted at the joint. I absolutely… do not want to do Rhyme. I don’t want to make any trouble for Ren either.

…Just now, a sound came from the stairs. But I can’t afford to think about what it is.

“Aoba!”

Suddenly the door opens and Koujaku flies in, ears back at the sight of me. “Koujaku! Why are…”

“I sent you a message saying I’d come to talk about Mizuki, didn’t I? More importantly… You bastard, let go of Aoba!” Koujaku growls and grabs the man. The man falls down on the floor with Koujaku, and a struggle begins. With my arm released I’m now free, but it’s already too late to get between them. “Stop it, both of you!” I snap at them but neither seems to hear me. They’re just rolling and tumbling all over the place.

The neko avoids Koujaku’s attack and grabs his shoulder, trying to kick him in the stomach. Koujaku dodges it with his hand and returns the favor with a headbutt. That slows the man’s movements but he immediately kicks Koujaku in the stomach, successfully this time. Koujaku retreats to a safe distance before the other can get another kick in; the knee of the man goes just above the hem of his kimono.

Then they’re at each other again until a sound comes from the window. Everyone’s attention is turned to there.

What in…

Standing at the door of the veranda is… a man cast in shadow yet the glimmer of a mask is barely reflected by some light and he speaks slow and deep. “Maaaaasteeeeeeeeeeerrrrr!!”

I can only scream at this utter nonsense happening to me right now.

And then…

The bedroom door opens violently and Granny’s angry voice echoes throughout the room. “You brats are too noisy! Give me a break!” Koujaku, the man in green, gas mask guy and I all stop moving and turn to look at Granny as if we’re little kids again. “You youngsters…” A very visible blood vessel appears on her forehead, and she looks at us with eyes burning. “Everyone, downstairs! Right now!”

 

“Ouch…”

Following Gram’s orders, we headed downstairs and sat silently at the table. Every one of us was at fault, so as a result we were all hit upon the head. When I saw Granny going over to hit the man in green, I was afraid he would fight back, but even though he was in an openly bad mood he didn’t really say nor do anything.

I wonder why? Because his opponent was an elder? Or maybe it was something completely different…

When Granny asked me how all of this happened in the first place, I confessed to forgetting to lock the front door again. That’s when I got hit.

My head hurts…

I’ll make sure to never forget about locking the front door again…

“I never thought I’d be hit too!” The gas mask guy whines while rubbing the bump upon his head. That reminds me, this guy actually did say his name was Clear when I met him before. He still has the same suspicious presence as the man in green…

“Aoba, come over here for a minute!” Grams called and I got up without question while rubbing my head. I thought I heard the sound of something being fried and a sweet smell filled the air. When I look at Granny’s hands, I see doughnuts piled in a basket covered with kitchen paper. So she really was cooking something for us. “Bring that. Everyone’s fine with tea, right?”

“Yes, yes. Oh, by the way, Granny.”

“What?”

I just know I’m risking another smack to the head but I still had to ask with concern, “Is it okay for you to be up already? How’s your hip?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? Stop babbling on and go already.” Grams drives me off and I return to the table with the doughnuts. Then, I fill everyone’s teacups and return to my own seat. After a while, Grams comes to sit down too. “When people are full, their anger will naturally subside. Eat already.”

“So these are for us? I could tell what you were making by the smell. Your doughnuts are exceptional, Tae-san.” Praised Koujaku, forgetting about his pain and immediately reaches out to the basket.

The man in green and the gas mask guy keep staring at the doughnuts as if they’re completely alien objects. “If you’re going to eat then eat, if not, then don’t.” Granny stated over the rim of her tea cup. The gas mask guy, I mean... Clear… can’t eat if he doesn’t remove his mask, and the man in green doesn’t even seem to want to eat in the first place.

I didn’t think he would, but surprisingly enough he picks up a doughnut. He still looks grumpy but he starts to nibble at his doughnut. “They’re sweet.”

“It’s meant to be sweet.” Grams informs him and he mumbles back, “But it’s still sweet.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to eat it.” Scoffs Granny, displeased. The neko continues gnawing at his doughnut. It’s completely impossible to read what this guy is thinking.

I then look at Clear and it looks like he hasn’t moved at all. “You’re not going to eat? Gram’s doughnuts are delicious.”

“I’ll eat.” He nods.

“Then I guess you’d better hurry?”

“Yes, I’ll eat.” He nods again then keeps still. But with that mask in the way…

Expecting something to happen, I continue to stare at Clear while lightly sipping my tea before realizing a doughnut from Clear’s side of the basket is now gone. And… I think his mask is moving up and down. “You… Did you just eat one?”

“Yes, I did. They’re delicious.”

Did he seriously eat it while wearing his gas mask? How? Just as I’m questioning that, he pops open the front of the mask, extracting a tube right into the tea and… You know what I am just not going there. This night has been crazy enough.

I grab a doughnut and start eating too.

Granny’s doughnuts are good even when cooled down, but when they’re freshly made, a special, gentle sweetness will flow through your mouth when you take a bite. As I eat, Koujaku, who’s already finished eating, stands up. He turns around before going into the hallway and looks back expectedly.

When I point to myself, Koujaku nods several times.

What is it?

I lower my half-eaten doughnut and stand up to go into the hallway with Koujaku.

“…Phew. Everything got rather tense and confusing back there.” I guess he wanted to escape the strange atmosphere in the living room. He lets out a sigh, maybe because he only feels comfortable away from everyone else. “Yeah, that’s for sure…” I agreed.

“Anyway, about Mizuki. Did you contact or meet with him at all?” Koujaku asks and it reminds me to the matter before everything else happened.

“Yeah, I called him. He said he was fine, but… I felt like he wasn’t as energetic as usual.”

“Really…?”

“Did something happen to Mizuki?”

Koujaku glances off, “Well, I told you that Mizuki was acting strange, didn’t I? Around then, members of my team and members of Dry Juice had some trouble. Mizuki was there. Hasn’t he always tried to negotiate these things out before?

“For some reason, he seemed kind of absentminded and kept spacing out, and he just watched the fight without trying to stop it. In the end I had to stop it instead. I thought Mizuki looked strange, and asked if he was all right. When I did, he gave me this glare like to leave him alone.”

“Mizuki did?” That sounds highly unusual for him but Koujaku nods. “Yeah. He didn’t look like his usual self, seemed like he was brooding over something.”

Brooding over something… He couldn’t still be…

“Aoba, can’t you remember anything? Has he been having any trouble recently?”

I let out a light sigh, “...Yesterday, when I was at Mizuki’s shop, we did talk about the mysterious disappearances.”

“Ah. The rumors about entire Rib teams disappearing, right?”

“I think he was really worried about that.”

“I’ve definitely heard that there are teams that have disappeared, but…”

“Morphine! Morphine!” A high pitched voice suddenly cuts in. Both Koujaku and I turn to find the source when something right behind my back falls on the floor. A cube like the ones attached to that fox’s waist. “That thing… It’s his!” Was it in the hood of my jacket…?!

The cube hops back towards the living room. Koujaku chases after the cube into the living room. “Hey, you little shit. You were eavesdropping just now, weren’t you?” Koujaku growls. The man picks up the cube without looking at either of us. “It’s not like it was something worth going to the trouble of asking about.” He claims with that look of disinterest.

“Bastard…”

“Like the mysterious disappearances. Rib’s not trendy anymore these days, so doesn’t it feel like they’re just holding some exciting event?”

“What’d you say?”

Koujaku’s voice shows clear anger. The air around these two was crackling and I was starting to fear a repeat of the antics in my room would restart. “Hey, it’s not a joking matter. There really are teams that haven’t returned.”

The man shrugs, “I dunno. Doesn’t it only mean it’s better to stop doing Rib if you’re so scared?”

“You bastard…” Koujaku becomes even angrier and the man looks back at him all the more coldly. “You, what’s your name?” Koujaku suddenly demands but the man looks away with a scoff, “It’s good manners to give your own name first.”

“An asshole like you probably doesn’t even have any manners, why should I have to?”

“Then don’t ask.”

I had to step in before these two start wringing each other’s necks again. “Wait a minute! This doesn’t need to get ugly.” I direct a hand in Koujaku’s direction, “He’s Koujaku.” I face my hand the other way, “And you?”

There’s a pause before the man finally answers, “…Noiz.”

“No one likes little shits like you.” Koujaku bites through his teeth but Noiz hardly reacts to the comment. “I don’t really care if you like me or not old man.”

Koujaku snarls instantly despite me standing right between them. “Son of a bitch…” I hold my hands up, ready to hold him back when Granny suddenly steps in, “That’s enough.” All hostility between the two is cut with a single sentence. “If you’re going to fight, do it elsewhere. You’re so noisy I can’t stand it.”

“…Sorry, Tae-san.” Koujaku apologizes, lightly hanging his head and his ears droop. Noiz stands up in silence. “Hey, where are you going?” I ask him. “Home.” As soon as he mutters that he leaves the living room.

Granny promptly tells Koujaku and Clear to do the same. Clear rises to Granny’s voice and bows. “It was delicious. Well then, Master, goodbye.” He turns to leave but I just realize something and go after him, “Ah, wait a sec.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Whether we meet again or not… If there’s another time, come in normally.”

Clear’s head tilts as his tail curls. I swear it’s about the only form of emotion I can tell from this guy with that mask on. “Normally?” He asks.

“Don’t fall from the sky or come in through the veranda. Normally people come in through the front door.” I explain exasperated. Clear’s tail droops. “Why can’t I come from the sky or the veranda?”

“It’s just weird, okay? And startling. It’s bad for the heart.”

“Bad for the heart…” He looks to actually consider my words before his tail is wagging again, “I see. I understand.” He raises his hand with a confident manner and then puts it to his chest. “It’s about the heart here, right?”

“Ah… Well yeah, but…”

“When I’m with Master, I learn a lot. Thank you very much.”

“…Really.”

“Until next time.” Bowing once again, Clear leaves from the entryway. “What’s up with that gas mask guy…?” Koujaku asks from behind me. “I don’t know…”

I really don’t.

“He’s not someone you know?”

“Someone I know, well… I don’t really know him.” And it’s not like I’m making a hobby out of this, it just keeps… happening. Koujaku pats my shoulder, “Hey, hey, keep it together.” But unexpectedly, he rubs his neck with one hand as if he’s embarrassed. “I’m sorry about earlier. I just kind of snapped. It would be nice if you could tell Tae-san too.”

“You apologized earlier, I think it’s fine.” I try to reassure him.

“And I’m sorry for going nuts like that in your room…”

“Ah, well, it’s over already. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so angry, though.”

At the remark, Koujaku lets out a sigh and shakes his head with a defeated expression, “I’m no good with guys like that who don’t know how to compromise. I remembered it just now, but… isn’t he in a Rhyme team?”

“Rhyme team?”

Since when do they have teams?

“Yeah. I think it was named “Ruff Rabbit”. Before, when our team and members of another team had a fight, I remember seeing him there. He seemed to know I was doing Rib too, so I guess I’m right. The more I think about it, the worse it makes me feel.”

“I didn’t even know Rhyme had teams.” I mention with a tilt of my head which gets a shrug out of Koujaku. “I think they only started forming teams recently. They’re probably doing it to gather information more easily. It just bothers me.”

In Rib, being teammates equals to being family. But Rhyme is probably different in that aspect. Dry and efficient. Just by looking at Noiz it’s clear enough.

Koujaku waves his hand dismissively, “Well, putting that cat aside, I’ll make it so I can help out Mizuki too. If you know anything, give me a call.” With that he raises his hand again and walks out the front door. After seeing Koujaku off, I return to my room feeling a little weak. Oh, right, I forgot to tell Koujaku that it was Noiz who had pulled me into Rhyme…

Then again if I tell him, the next time he sees Noiz he’ll do nothing but pick a fight. Thinking over the day’s events, I open the door while a heavier sense of weakness washes over me.

I’d forgotten what a disaster zone my room had become…

“Aoba, you may want to reconsider the decoration of your room.” I suddenly hear from Ren sitting by my computer and I end up letting out a weak laugh. It really does look bad in here. I decide to only pick up things that had fallen on the ground, and afterwards I plop myself down on the bed with Ren.

I’ll clean the rest tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow. I’ve already had too much excitement for one day. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.


	7. Morphine

The next day comes.

Because I was so tired from yesterday, I arrived at Heibon just barely in time. Haga-san went out as soon as he opened the shop, so only Bonjin-kun and I are in the shop as usual. Since hardly any customers have come by today, I have lots of free time.

I spend the time thinking about yesterday’s events.

Noiz and Clear.

I don’t understand either of them…

Yet when everyone went home and the noisiness vanished from the house, I actually felt a little lonely. It’s kind of nice having something lively happen once in a while…

My ear twitches as I come to realize the phone is ringing and I pick it up quickly, “Yes, this is Junk Shop Heibon.” There’s no answer other than breathing and I frown. “Hello?” The person hangs up without saying anything.

A prank?

Before I can really think much of it the shop bell rings and I sit up until realizing just who’s coming through the door.

“Suicide attaaack!” Cries Kio with his siblings rushing in behind him. “It’s a suicide attaaack!” Nao chimed in and finally there was Mio’s claim, “This place is as lame as always.” I could almost quote the trio by now with their usual remarks. “You brats again.” I growl, slowly rising from my seat.

They turn to me as if noticing me for the first time and smile gleefully. Sheesh, they’re always, always so uncute…

“Oh! Target found!” Kio points out Bonjin-kun who stops by hitting the brakes and is quick to hide behind me. Wait. Doesn’t that mean I’ll be their new target?

Next thing I knew, they were pushing and hanging on me trying to get at Bonjin-kun. It was like I just took part in some freak show balancing three kids at once. “Ugh, kids, don’t hang from me!” As I struggle with the noisy brats, I hear the door open again. I turn thinking it’s a customer but instead it’s…

“Noiz?!”

He nods his head at me in acknowledgement without really looking my way, “Yo.”

Wha… Why did he come to the shop?!

Noiz approaches me while curiously looking over the shop. The evil brats, having taken notice of him, let go of me and keep their eyes trained on Noiz. “Customer! A customer came!” Nao cries gleefully, almost bouncing in place as he looks between his siblings and Kio points with his chest puffed out like some sense of command, “Right, change of target! Let’s charge towards the customer!”

“H-hey, you kids…!” Before I can stop them, the brats dash towards Noiz. I thought he would get angry, but instead he avoids Kio and Nao’s pounce and they fall forward. And then just before Mio bumps into him, Noiz catches her by her shirt and lifts her up. “Let me go! What’re you doing?!” Mio yells while pounding on Noiz’s chest desperately. Without budging, Noiz silently continues to watch Mio.

I feel like I should do something but don’t know exactly what. As I watch, dumbfounded, Noiz does something completely unexpected. He takes one of Mio’s fisted hands, brings his lips close to it, and kisses it.

What the hell…?!

Mio trembles madly, her face red like a boiled octopus. “Wha, wha, wha…”

“Rowdy girls aren’t cute.” Noiz says and puts her back down. Mio opens and closes her mouth like a goldfish, then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “What are you doing, you sexual harassment piercing guy?!!”

Sexual harassment piercing guy…?

No sooner had Mio yelled that before she was running out the door with her stunned brothers in tow. Noiz hardly reacted to it and the store suddenly became silent. I can hear Bonjin-kun’s gears moving faintly, but all I do is stare at Noiz, too surprised to speak at first. “You… just what was that you did to that young girl?”

Noiz gives me a puzzled look. “What?”

“Kissing her hand like that… Normally that would put people off.”

Noiz simply shrugs, “I don’t think it’s that unusual.”

“No, it is unusual! Completely!” I insist while rubbing between the corners of my eyes yet when I reopen them, there was Noiz with his hands set on the counter as he hangs over it. He looks straight into my eyes. And something soft touches my lips.

….W-was that…

I nearly propel myself backwards in my chair, pressing the back of my hand against my mouth. “Y-y-you!!”

“What?” Noiz asks with a totally dumbfounded look.

“D-don’t… just say ‘What?’! What did you just do?!”

“Didn’t I just kiss you?” Noiz watches me calmly as I freak out.

This cat…

Seriously, what’s wrong with him?! I stand up abruptly. “Normally, guys don’t go kissing guys so casually, you know!”

“Really?” Noiz’s brow rises and it only leaves me further confused with just what this guy is playing at. Unless…

“Wait, so… you play for that team?”

“Huh?”

Noiz is still completely composed and it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to mess with me or anything… I need to get myself together. He’s weird. Definitely. I’m not the weird one here…

There are lots of people out there into this sort of thing even if it’s the same gender… So he’s that type… Probably.

I wipe my lips with the back of my hand, and calm down by taking deep breaths. “Anyway, why did you even come here?”

Noiz stares at me in a fixed gaze. “Join my team.”

What?

Where did this come from?

“Your team… you mean Rhyme?” I ask and he nods. What is with people wanting me to fight? I give a reply right off the bat, “No way.” Noiz just looks at me then opens his mouth, “Then I’ll keep coming here until you say yes.”

What the hell? He’s like a little kid.

“You were really strong at Rhyme when I faced you. Let’s go at it again.” Noiz says while stuffing his hands into his pocket. I feel beyond exasperated. “No I wasn’t. You’ve got the wrong person.” Noiz sinks into silence and just stares at me. He has a sour look on his face. What’s wrong with him…?

“…Well, that’s not the issue here right now.” Noiz takes his gaze of me and lets out a frustrated sigh. “It’s in front of your shop today.”

“What is?”

“Rhyme.”

Rhyme? How could he possibly know it was going to appear here? As if seeing the question on my face, he answers, “Usui’s going to appear around here today. Our predictions are always on target.”

I frown, unable to decrypt what he’s going on about when suddenly boisterous noise travels all the way from outside. “We’re going.” Noiz claims and I look up to him standing right there again, making me flinch back. “Just come.” He grabs my arm.

He can’t be serious!

“Hey, let me go! The shop…”

“Shut up.” His grip on my arm is so firm that I can’t shake him off, and I’m just barely able to grab my bag. When I get dragged outside the shop, I see a sweltering back alley that no one ever goes through. That is until today as a crowd of people head inside. Noiz leads me that way as well. “It’s around here.” He states and when we enter the grim alleyway, Noiz stands still.

Before I had noticed, there was a bunny cube in his hand. “Is that your Allmate?” I end up asking while tilting my head at the bouncing cube. Noiz nods silently. I know I saw it before at my house but it’s weird for him to have such a cute one…

“It’ll start soon.” A dim light starts to shine shortly enough. A ring of light appears in the empty space, and Usui shows from its ankles up. The surrounding participants raise their voices in excitement, and even more people come when they hear them. “Just like I said.” Noiz says and I can only stare ahead at the scene until I feel something shoving me forward. “Go up and take a look.”

“I said I never liked this in the first place.” I retort while pushing his hand away. “Even just this much?” Noiz slightly raises a brow and then behind me, my bag is pulled down on by something on it. I look to see the bunny cube pulling on the strap.

When did it… And how…?!

Noiz smirks, “What will you do now?” The audience crowds together and I hold tightly onto my bag; there’s no way to escape anymore. At that moment, something glides to my bag and hits the cube that’s pulling down on it. “P!” The momentum knocks the bag from my hands at the same time.

The surrounding crowd is in a commotion—it’s complete chaos.

“Yo.” The one who picks my bag up is Koujaku. So the thing that hit Noiz’s cube must’ve been Beni. The Beni-Shigure members are here too. “Koujaku…”

Koujaku smiles and waves at me with his other hand before handing back my bag. “Aoba, how are you today? On delivery duty?” While saying that, Koujaku shoots a leering look Noiz’s way. “Why are you here?”

“I have no reason to tell you old man.”

Koujaku’s tail twitches but he glances to the gathered crowd. “Rhyme, huh?”

“Why are you here anyway?” Noiz asks though he hardly looks interested to know the answer. “Braindead Rib players like you would be wiped in an instant in Rhyme.”

“Whaddya’ say?!” growled Kou, taking a step toward Noiz until Koujaku holds him back with his arm without taking his eyes off Noiz. “Don’t act like a little brat here.”

“He’s the brat.” Noiz states throwing a side look at Kou and the neko nearly lunges over Koujaku’s arm. “Don’t get carried away.” Koujaku says though who he was directing it at, could be both. Noiz just looks off with a shrug, “Whatever.”

“Just talking to you makes me hate Rhyme even more.”

“Go ahead, old man. No one cares about Rib anymore.”

…This somehow took a turn for the worst. The tension off these two spills into the crowd, and both Koujaku and Noiz’s team begin to crowd around them while I’m left in the middle utterly helpless. Rib vs Rhyme. They stand across and scowl at each other, their patience almost drained dry. “Hey, you two need to…”

It’s rather pointless to speak as they keep snapping at each other, draining out my voice.

“You know, your whole muscle and pride thing has been outdated for a while now.”

“Fighting in your head isn’t anything special. It’s just your way of escaping the real world.”

“It’s hard to get through the head of someone with no brain. No reason to keep on talking.”

“I don’t need to be hearing smack talk from some bean sprout.”

Noiz suddenly frowns. “I’m not a bean sprout.”

His reaction gets a smirk out of Koujaku, “Is that so? You look enough like one to me.” He’s using that tone… Like when he came into my room and started a brawl. Noiz keeps his mouth shut and Koujaku silently stares. “Aren’t you ‘Ruff Rabbit’? Mujina’s Rhymer team? Looks like you made it all the way over here.” Koujaku mentions after a brief silence. “You predict when and where Rhyme starts; are you happy with the small pennies you make out of that?”

“It’s business.” Noiz sounds like he’s ready to yawn. “There’s a lot of people around here that want that sort of information. So we arrange a few things. We use our heads for different reasons than you.” Koujaku and Noiz glare at each other with a silent intensity until Koujaku reaches for the hilt of his sword. “Looks like I’ll just have to kick your ass in one shot.”

Noiz smirks, “You’re so full of shit. But I’ll beat you to a pulp and let you eat those words.”

The surrounding Ribsteez and Rhymers let out booming war cries. Before I knew it, I was able to see the Rhymers collected around Usui watch two people fighting. More people began to turn our way. This isn’t good…

“I’ll make sure that you can’t open that mouth to make cheeky comments ever again.” Koujaku growls without a notice of his surroundings.

“Yeah, right.” Chuckles Noiz, equally oblivious to the gathering of people. Or maybe he just doesn’t care. Koujaku keeps firing provocations at Noiz, who is just taking them with a small smirk; he tilts his head and snorts.

This has to stop.

“Noiz! Cut it out already! Just chill out!” I cry out, trying to get between the two but it’s futile. “They’re the ones who need to chill out.” Noiz states and like that he and Koujaku clash, sending both Rib and Rhyme players into a free-for-all fight with each other. The large alleyway fills with screams and roars, and the sound of fighting echoes far and wide.

I have to at least stop Koujaku and Noiz…!

I force my way through to get to them, but a guy from the side swoops down on me. “You’re on the Rhyme side aren’t you?!” He yells and he’s about to hit me, looking like he’s in for the kill. I reflexively aim for his defenseless neck and strike it with my hand. His knees buckle in and he falls to the ground.

That was a close one…

It could’ve been bad if I wasn’t paying attention. And as soon as that came to mind…! Another man is swinging his arm, with something sharp flying around. I soon realize that he has a knife. “Seriously, that’s not fucking funny!” I grab both of his arms in a hold and pull them downwards. As he staggers, I shove my knee into his chin. He bends backwards and I kick the knife away; then I connect my foot with his face. “Jeez…”

I look for Koujaku and Noiz again. They’re still battling, not a bit focused on what’s going on around them. “Koujaku, Noi…”

“You bastards! What’re you doing?!!”

The booming voice hurts my ears, and all of the fighting suddenly comes to a dead stop. Everyone turns their heads. And then… Once they saw who yelled, everyone started running away as fast as possible. Akushima! The policemen at his side all pull out their guns. “What the hell’s all of this noise?! Rhyme?! Rib?! Either way, you’re all getting the DEATH PENALTY!!”

“Aoba!” Against the stampede of people running, Koujaku heads my way. “Where’s Noiz?” I ask looking over my shoulder but not about to stop running. “He ran away. We have to go too!” Koujaku answers and grabs onto my arm.

“GET BACK HEEEEEREEEE!!!!” Akushima’s loud yelling could be heard even as we ran further away out of the alley.

 

Koujaku and I slow down and stop running once we realize that we don’t hear the sound of any people after us anymore. We’re both completely out of breath. “…We should be fine if we’re this far ahead.” I pant, resting my hands on my knees. Just to make sure, Koujaku turns around and checks behind us, and then he gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry, I lost my cool again… to that little shit back there.” Koujaku’s expression then turns serious. “Aoba. He’s the guy who pulled you into that Drive-By match, right?”

His exact guess startles me. He gets his answer just by looking at my reaction. “So you knew already. I didn’t think you would’ve.”

I hang my head, “Sorry…”

Koujaku shakes his head though, “No, I’m not trying to put you down. But he’s been following you around since that Drive-By, hasn’t he? What happened?”

Yeah, how do I explain? There’s no reason to hide it now though. I decide to tell Koujaku the truth straight out. Everything that I could remember anyway up to the point of what Noiz was telling me. “So he’s following you so he can get some payback, huh. He has no pride, that little brat.” Koujaku frowns. “In or out of Rhyme, if you lose, you lose. A real man accepts his defeats. And you even blacked out, didn’t you? At this point he’s plain out harassing you.”

“I guess…”

“What? Are you worried about something?” Koujaku sets a hand over my shoulder, urging me to speak out and I glance away slightly but still open my mouth. “…When I was in Rhyme, I heard someone’s voice.”

“What do you mean? Beside’s his?”

“I think it was someone else. It was more like the voice came from my head rather than outside it. And then I started to give instructions to Ren. It was like I just instinctively knew how to fight.”

“Even though you’ve never done Rhyme.” Koujaku adds in and I nod. It still didn’t make sense however. “But then why did I give instructions? Ren wouldn’t lie. I don’t even know. And that’s what bothers me…” I hang my head until my chin is at my chest but Koujaku’s grip on my shoulder tightens until I look up at him again. “Don’t think too hard about it. That’s always been a bad habit of yours. Otherwise what Ren will do is tell you, ‘Aoba, your thoughts look like they’re about to burst from your head.” Koujaku’s impersonation of Ren gets me to smile a bit.

“Being suddenly dragged into Rhyme might’ve just confused you. But you can always tell me anything, just so you know.”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Because Tae-san always makes the best food.” Koujaku’s smile gets bigger which ends up making me laugh as I attempt to mock hurt at his claim, “Just because of that?” As we laugh together, the gloom starts to fade a little bit.

After catching our breath, Koujaku looks off down the alleyway before looking to me again, “Oh yeah, want to go hit up the guys in Dry Juice?”

“Sure. I’m worried about Mizuki…” My words drift as something out of all this chaos comes back to the fore front of my mind and my eyes snap wide open. “What’s wrong?” Koujaku asks while I scramble with my Coil. “I should be working! Haga-san is out so I was supposed to be watching the store!” I call Haga-san on my Coil in a rush.

After a brief moment the line is picked up. “Hello, you’ve reached Junk Shop Heibon.”

“Haga-san?! I’m so sorry, I…”

“Oh, Aoba-kun. I was wondering what happened since you weren’t at the shop… Did something urgent come up?”

“Well, I, uh…”

Noiz suddenly showed up to the shop and there was this thing with kissing and Rhyme and… He wouldn’t understand that even if I tried to explain. Not knowing what I could possibly say, I dodge the question and apologize profusely. He sounded a little bitter about it, but he forgave me.

“Everything okay?” Koujaku asks after I end the call. “I guess…” I sigh. As much as Haga-san lets me off, I still didn’t take care of my responsibilities as an adult… I’ll apologize more later…

***

While making ourselves very noticeable, I start to feel that something is wrong when we get close to Dry Juice turf. The members would always hang around in this area, but there’s no one here. Not a single person. “It’s like a ghost town.” I comment lightly.

“Do you think they moved to another place?” Koujaku turns to me and I look to him before looking back into the quiet alley. “I didn’t hear anything about that…” I feel a horrible premonition and quicken my pace. I check the usual spots they hang out and of course no one’s there either. The stairs, that’s where Mizuki always is with others of the team.

Koujaku stops and grabs onto my arm as I attempt to hurry through the entrance. “What?” I look to the same place Koujaku is when he doesn’t answer and I freeze up.

…It’s gone.

The Dry Juice tag art on the wall…

It’s been painted out pitch black.

No way… Were they defeated?

But by whom? What team?

“Aoba, look at that.” Koujaku gestures to the wall where a different picture is painted. Robot-like wings… and a halo around a heart. That tag belongs to… “Morphine?!”

That can’t be…

Koujaku’s expression darkens, “Mysterious disappearances my ass…” My heart skips a beat. I thought they were just urban legend.

…No, this has to be some prank or something. Dry Juice is the largest team in Rib. Maybe there were some people that didn’t find it interesting anymore so they pulled this and fled. That’s more realistic than the idea of them all being abducted.

…Really?

Is there really no one left here?

In desperation I shake off Koujaku’s hand and take off through the area calling for someone, anyone, to answer me. My shouts echo through the empty space.

Shit…!

What’s going on…?!

I head back towards the other alleyway where Mizuki would always be. Someone has to be there for sure! I enter and feel a wave of disappointment. Not a person in sight here either. The tag art on the stairs is painted over just like the other spots, yet that’s not the only thing I notice on the stairs. “Aoba, there’s no one on the other side either.” Calls Koujaku as he comes up beside me but my gaze is fixed forward. A heavy amount of blood covered the lower steps.

There are skid marks from shoes nearby, and more blood scattered around. It looks fresh. When I take a more careful look, there’s evidence of stuff being thrown around in a large fight. This wasn’t some typical turf war…

“Shit, I can’t get through to Mizuki…” I turn to Koujaku who’s trying to use his Coil, “What’s going on? What kind of monster went through here? Is this really Morphine’s work?”

I don’t know the answer to any of his questions. All I can think about is how Mizuki was trying to tell me about this before and now…

Footsteps approach from the entrance and the exit at the same time. I whip around hoping maybe somebody was still around after all. Yet the figures that show up instead are Virus and Trip. “Hey, I was wondering who it was. Fancy meeting you here, Aoba-san.” Virus nods his head with his hands behind his back. “Yoohoo, Aoba!” Greets Trip in a brief wave before stuffing his hands back into his pockets. “Why are you guys here?” I ask rather bewildered to see them at a time like this. “We’re in charge of the area around here.” Virus answers.

“…Yakuza?” Koujaku glares at the two of them, murmuring curses under his breath until he questions out loud. “Are you guys twins? You look exactly alike.”

The duo deny the claim at the same time and Koujaku dismisses it as he looks to me rather disapprovingly. “Aoba, you’re with these kind of people?”

“I’m not… They weren’t yakuza when I first met them. It was when you left the island, Koujaku.” I explain. “Yep. You could say that we’re old friends.” Virus reassures with Trip chiming in, “Yeah, yeah, nothing to do with our work.”

“We’re in a pretty violent business, but we’re not breaking any rules. We do as much as our common sense allows; it’s nice to meet you.” Virus bows his head to Koujaku but he snarls at them, “You’re still yakuza. From the last bone, to the last drop of their blood, that’s what they are and always will be.” I was rather astonished, to be honest. Koujaku’s tone was so angry and violent, even more so than when he’s speaking to Noiz almost.

Does Koujaku really hate yakuza to that extent…?

If Virus and Trip acknowledge anything of what Koujaku said, they don’t really show it as their attention turns to the scenario around us. “By the way, isn’t one of your friends in Dry Juice, Aoba-san? Have they moved off to somewhere else?” asks Virus.

“We haven’t seen any of their members yet.” Trip mentions and the dark feeling from before settles in my chest. “They’re all… gone.”

Virus turns to me looking surprised, “Gone?”

I explain to them all that Koujaku and I had found since we first arrived. “Morphine…” Virus murmurs at my mention and puts his hand to his lips in deep thought while taking in the tag art around us. “You mean that living fantasy team?” asks Trip.

“Yeah. I was thinking that maybe it was someone trying to frame Morphine for this, but…”

“All the same, that’s quite barbaric.” Interrupts Virus. “Taking out an entire team in one shot… how vicious.”

“Aren’t you guys in charge of this area? Do you know anything?” It was worth a shot anyway, even with Koujaku still glaring the two down without any effect on them. “It was difficult to make the rounds last night.” Answers Trip. “We couldn’t find a single Dry Juice member.” Virus informs and an anxious feeling comes over me. “Around what time was that?”

“Around nine? Didn’t it happen later anyway?” Trip looks to Virus who nods. Isn’t this like when Morphine just disappeared from the map back then? I want to say that out loud but all that I mutter to myself stays in my mind. “I’ll contact you if anything happens on our side.” Virus states, taking me out of my thoughts. “Be safe, Aoba-san.”

“I don’t know why the hell we’re doing this, but we’ll do what we can.” Trip states with a side glance at Virus until Koujaku steps forward and snaps, “You should get your fucking noses out of Rib. What do you think you can do?” Virus just smiles in some sort of amusement at Koujaku’s attempts to provoke them. “You think we’re parasites of this town, don’t you? Our goal is to just hold our footing and build up our influence. So for someone to dirty up our land is a bit of an unpleasant thing to do.”

Koujaku clicks his tongue at the cheerfully smiling Virus. “Well then. We’ll go check out the area and… Hm?”

“Hey, you all over there! What’re you up to?!” Behind us, policemen rush forward in a horde, drawing their guns. “Don’t move! If you do, we’ll shoot!” The policemen all point their guns at the same time.

“Well, we’re in trouble.” Koujaku snorts while glaring at the policemen. “Oh my, they’re even noisier today than ever. They’re so full of energy.” Virus muses and Trip smiles at the same time, “Isn’t this were we split up?”

“We’re not too good at that either. Please escape, Aoba-san.”

I look at them then at the police. Well I don’t need to be told twice.

“We’ll run in like a kamikaze attack. Then feel free to split up. Run on my signal.” Trip counts off his fingers, “One, two… three!” And like that we all start running. The policemen start firing but they never found the effort to train every day, so not a single bullet even scratches us. Trip and Virus pounce onto a policeman, and they all fall like dominos. “See you later then, Aoba-san!” Yells Virus. “Bye, bye!” Calls Trip right after. I can only thank them over my shoulder as I run off with Koujaku to the left and I barely see them take off to the right.

Behind us I could hear the sound of gunshots and angry yelling, but as we ran from Yukisagi to Aoyagi I couldn’t hear anything anymore. “We’re having an awfully bad day.” Panted Koujaku as we come to a stop again trying to catch our breath.

We really are…

I catch my breath and close my eyes, and my vision slowly becomes clearer. The Dry Juice tag painted out in black. The blood stains scattered everywhere. Where did Mizuki go? I wonder if he’s okay. Who did this? Is this really… Morphine?

“What the hell’s going on?” I grit my teeth together in frustration and Koujaku looks to me concerned. A few moments pass while I boil over in vivid anger. No matter the reason, this is unforgivable. Going around doing things like this…

“I’m definitely going to find the guys who did this.”

Koujaku nods in agreement, “That’s right. I’ll go ask my team members if they saw anything.”

“I’m counting on you.” I don’t know who or what Morphine is, but they’ve got to be the criminals. If Mizuki and the others are hurt when I catch Morphine… I won’t go easy on them. Koujaku leaves to go see his team and I head over to Mizuki’s shop until a message to my Coil stops me half way.

“…Spam?” The sender says Captive Princess while the subject is ‘Please save me.’ This again… “And, delete.” I don’t have time for this. I barely close my Coil before another message pops up and it’s the exact same one. I quickly delete it. But when I do that the message returns and as if to spite me it keeps coming, over and over.

What the hell?

Confused, I open my bag and start Ren up. He looks up at me expectantly and I show him my Coil. “Ren, these messages look like bad news. What virus is it?”

“Wait a moment. I’m investigating it now.” Saying that, Ren goes silent. I wait impatiently as the messages keep coming in the whole time. My own ring tone is starting to annoy me. “Ren are you done yet?”

“Analysis completed. There is no virus. And if it is indeed actually a virus, it’s had counter measures installed.”

“So you’re saying it’s impossible for you to stop these messages from coming in?”

“The sender’s address is unidentified.”

“The hell, are you serious?!” I sigh defeated. “It would be better to check the contents.” Ren suggests. I’m not sure about it but I have a feeling these messages will never leave me alone otherwise. “I got it, jeez! I’ll look already!” In an act of desperation, I tap the subject of the newest message to pop up and all at once it stops. What did I do? I feel uneasy, but read the text inside. There’s nothing written. So was it really just spamming after all…?

My Coil rings again but this time it isn’t a message. “A game is being transmitted.” Informs Ren.

“A game? Oh.” Now that I think about it, there was that beta sent to me before. Maybe this is the next phase. When it finishes downloading, the title screen shows up on the monitor. It’s the same title as last time. I’m ready to play, but there’s no start button. Well this is off to a fine trial. A few moments later, the screen changes and the game suddenly starts up.

Even when I try to work the controls on my Coil, nothing moves. “Ren, it’s not working.”

“Isn’t it a demo?” He asks while peering at the screen from my bag. “What’s the point of sending this out if you can’t do anything this time?” I ask more toward myself than at him and keep trying to press the control keys. Finally the protagonist starts to move. Did I get it to work? Right as I think that, I stop touching the controls but the character continues to move on its own.

The blue knight paces in front of a door until another character shows up. I frown taking notice how this character reminds me awfully of Granny. Then two bats show up, picking up the new character and traveling across the pixel map to another location that looks like some garbage dump. “What is this?” I shake my head at the screen, “All those messages earlier were just spam too, a total waste of time. Let’s just go home.” I exit out of the game and hold my bag closer as I start to walk.

 

As evening approaches, a light delicious smell begins to float through the streets. Dinner time I imagine. That reminds me, I wonder if Granny’s home?  
…Ever since I played that game, I’ve had a bad feeling that won’t go away. A character that looks just like Grams was stolen away by some black bats.

…Why did that game get sent at such a weird time? Was it by accident?

Just thinking about it makes my chest hurt, so I try to call Granny from my Coil. It doesn’t go through. I’ll try the home phone. She’s still not picking up. I’ll try Granny’s Coil one more time. No answer still… I know she never really used her Coil from the start but… “…Damn it!”

I try hard not to worry, but I keep thinking about the bloodstains scattered everywhere at the Dry Juice hangout and then that game. No, I’m just thinking too much is all. It’s been a long day.

…I can’t do this. I’m going home. I’ll feel better when I get home and see Granny safe and sound. Making up my mind, I run full speed back home.

 

I unlock the door in a frenzy upon reaching it and jump into the house to find it pitch black. It doesn’t look like anyone’s here… “Grams?” I call out but no one answers.

…This is bad. I feel hot and cold at the same time. Images of the day’s events flicker in my mind and I call out again while running up the hallway, not even thinking of taking off my shoes. Suddenly I trip over something.

I look down to see what I could have possibly tripped over and see a large lump that in the dark I make out to be a person. The person is lying face down and isn’t moving. My heart jumps in my throat as I timidly get closer. It looks like a guy, so not Granny. I feel a sense of relief that’s quickly washed away with a new sense of horror. Who is he?

I stare at him, and find a tattoo on his neck. Is that a tag art? This tag… “…Morphine.” I feel someone’s presence and turn around. In the dark hallway, I see a man standing there. He’s so large that I have to look upwards, and his intimidating stature makes me unable to move a muscle.

Yet it’s not even my own safety that scares me. It’s the idea of this guy having done something to Granny that has me terrified. “Where’s my grandmother?” He doesn’t answer. He stares at me with cool eyes through the darkness. “I said where is she?!” When I draw closer to him, someone grabs my shoulders from behind. Then another grabs onto me, holding me down. “Let me go! Fucking… Let go…!” I struggle within their hold until something heavy slams into my stomach, and I stop breathing. I start to fall forward as my vision fades into darkness. Damn it…

Not here…

Granny…


	8. Scratch

My heard hurts…

I…

Did I black out…?

I open my eyes, and all I can see are fuzzy shades of black. I can’t tell left from right. I hear the sound of water dripping. Is it raining? The coldness of concrete is pressed to my cheek. Where am I…?

I try to stand up, but it’s hard to move. I can’t seem to move my body. Something’s binding my arms. Pathetically I try to raise my head as I lie face down on the ground. And I stiffen up at the sight of combat boots just an inch from my face. Slowly, I look upwards to see what’s above them.

It’s the large man that I saw in my house; likely the one that socked me in the gut at that. He looks at me and puts a pipe to his mouth, breathing out a puff of smoke right after and I catch the faint scent of cinnamon. “…Where’s my grandmother?” I ask again, trying my best to glare from my position. “What did you do with her? Answer me!” I’m so angry I feel like I’m about to explode, and I quietly let out a growl.

The okami just watches me silently and then stands up from the sofa. As I wonder what he will do next, he looms over me and pulls my head up by my bangs. “O-ow!!” An intense pain runs up through my hair. He ignores my pain and looks at my face. His eyes… They’re colder than anything I’ve seen before yet I feel like I saw the same intense stare before. Not at my house but somewhere before even that.

“Do you understand the situation you’re in?” He asks in a deep baritone voice and pulls my hair to the side to make me face another direction. I see two other okamimimis standing there with machine guns in hand. Taking my silence as an understanding he lets go of my hair and my chin hits the concrete with a violent thud. I almost bit my tongue off…

“Hey.” The man calls out to his henchmen and whispers something to them. They reply and leave. I’m in a serious pinch, and desperately I try to think of something to get free. First of all, I need to get these restraints off! I try rubbing my arms together as hard as I can. The ropes start to loosen up but they’re not off just yet. With my feet I check if there’s anything by me that I could use but there’s nothing.

Shit…

I have to do something…

The sound of many footsteps reverberate on the room’s floor. A bunch of guys come into the room. “Do it.” The giant man jerks his chin in my direction. I watch one of the men come closer to me, and I prepare myself for the worst. There’s nothing I can do while they surround me. I sit there, pitifully unable to escape. Someone hauls me up to a stand by my jacket before grabbing onto my arms. “Make sure to have a good hold on him.”

I change my mind. I’m not putting up with this shit!

Ignoring the cold shivers going down my spine I start jerking around to get free. “Let me go!” For a second I was able to loosen the grip along with making the ropes weaker until finally they were off. Yet there was no time to celebrate as my arms again were pinned. “Hey, I said to hold him!” Snapped one of the guys. “L-let go!” I yell and notice the giant man folding his arms while standing on the other side of the room. Just watching this unfold calmly as if it was some attraction.

That bastard…

“Hehe, don’t hate us for this.” A guy laughed in my ear just before fisting his fingers around it and pulled it down, making my head jerk downward. “We can’t go against Mink-san’s orders.” Another mentioned just before throwing a punch into my exposed jaw. A light flashes before my eyes before my vision spins and a ringing sound settles in my ears.

“I said, let me go! You’re disgusting!” I still manage to say despite that I can feel my cheek swelling. “Shut the hell up!” I receive another blow to my face and this time I can taste blood in my mouth. Another punch is thrown at my gut—which hasn’t really recovered from the first hit I took—and I double over until the person holding my arms pulls me back up.

I decide to mess with them; I collect all the blood in my mouth and spit on one of the men closest to me. “You little shit!” He snarls while wiping the blood and saliva from his face. I failed to notice it was the one holding my ear until he jerked his hand and I felt like he was going to rip my ear right off. “Get off! Don’t touch me!” I snap while hissing out in pain and I kick the distracted man in the stomach. But someone punches me twice as hard as my kick.

Shit…

No matter what I do, every hit I get at these guys is returned tenfold and if someone wasn’t holding onto my arms right now I would have collapsed with how much my legs were buckling. At one point I bit a guy and he simply bit me back on the lip so now I had blood trickling down my chin and before I could try another spit shot, my head snaps to the side from a punch.

Why did this have to happen…

I just wanted to help Granny that’s all…

That man…

I’m going to get beaten to death because of him and I have no idea what will happen to Granny…!

Even now he’s still watching this.

Does he think this is fun?

Why?

Why does this have to happen…?!

My head is pounding, I can no longer see straight and my consciousness slips.

 

The okamis look at each other and back to the blue haired usagimimi that suddenly went limp. “Looks like he’s suddenly calmed down.” One stated with a hint of disappointment. “I guess he just gave up.” Huffed the one holding his arms and debated to drop him. “Then go ahead already.” Suddenly the man twitched, letting out a slow breath. A strange air comes off him…

“Wh-what? What’s going on…?” One by one the men back off, having their eyes trained on the young man who suddenly lifts his head with a piercing gaze.

_“Disappear.”_

 

…What’s that smell…?

It was a spice. Cinnamon?

I slowly open my eyes, and I see someone standing some distance away from me.

That’s… that man… What was his name, Mink…?

He…

What’s he doing?

His gaze his cast down to the flame of a single lit candle. Is he saying something? I can’t hear what it is. I wonder what he’s saying…

 

…Ow

The sharp pain in my head forces me awake again and I open my eyes to see a worn out ceiling. What happened to me…? Letting the wheels in my brain churn I remember bit by bit which makes me aware of the pain not just in my head but the rest of my body. Right…

I was getting beaten but what happened…?

At any rate, this room was different from the one I was in before. I have to take my pills… Wait, my bag.

Where’d my bag go? Ren… He was in my bag…

I hear the sound of the door opening and, forgetting my pain for a moment, jump up. A lanky okamimimi with sandy blonde hair peeps his head in and gives me a toothy smile from the rusty iron door, “So you’re awake?” He comes into the room and shuts the door behind him quietly. “How do you feel? That had to suck getting beaten to a pulp like that.” I glare at him and scoot back to the farthest point of the bed I’d been laying on while waving at him to go away. He only raises his hands, “I’m not going to do what the others did, so don’t look so afraid, okay? …Aoba’s your name, right?”

I flinch upon him saying my name. “Who are you?!”

His smile gets wider and he lets out a soft laugh, “Just like I thought. Aoba, from Junk Shop Heibon, right?” When he mentions the shop I feel my heart skip. “You know about Heibon?” I ask him and he nods, “Yeah. I use to go there to buy a lot of things a long time ago.” He watches for my reaction still grinning strangely. It’s almost music to my ears thinking this guy was a former customer; I want to confide in him almost instantly, talk him into letting me out of here. But I can’t do that. This guy is kind of weird. This whole time he’s been fidgeting while smiling at me in a creepy manner.

“It’s so exciting to be able to meet you here.” He lets out a shuddering breath and I feel a chill go down my spine. “Y-yeah. Right.”

“I thought of something really good.” He nods frantically and glances over his shoulder before looking at me again, “I thought that we should get out of here.”

“…Are you serious?” Did he read my thoughts just now?

“Well of course! Isn’t it a good idea?” He asks me with his eyes widening and if that smile of his splits his face any further… “But… Aren’t Mink’s people all around here?” I ask cautiously and he waves his hand dismissively, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll do something about it.”

“And just what would that be?”

“I said it’ll be fine.”

“So then, how?”

The guy’s creepy smile finally disappears into a frown. “…You just can’t stay quiet, can you rabbit?” He steps closer to the bed, “I said that it’d be fine, didn’t I?” Grabbing me, he pulls out a gun. His eyes widen and his mouth curls into that creepy grin again. “It’ll be fine. I’ll get you out of here, so, please let me hear your voice more, okay?”

“My voice…?” I draw my head back as far as possible with him practically breathing on me. “Yeah. You’re the one who always answers for Heibon on the phone. I found your voice so mesmerizing from the first time I heard it, you know? I would always call just so I could hear your voice.”

…So he was one of those people. I just can’t catch a break today.

“So make sure to let me hear even more of your pretty voice. I want to hear it. Okay?” He climbs fully on the bed and pushes the gun into my cheek as if gesturing me to lie down. “If you try to escape from me I’ll shoot.” He growls between heavy panting. “Whatever’s fine, it’s not too demanding. I just want to hear that wonderful voice.” He starts to touch my face, looking crazier by the second. My head starts to throb again as if this situation wasn’t bad enough.

The door to the room flies open and the man turns around, face turning pale as a ghost as he drops the gun and his tail snaps between his legs at the sight of the man standing at the doorway. Mink. “…What are you doing?”

“F-forgive me!!”

Mink comes inside and grabs the jumbled man by the collar. “Eek! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” The man cries desperately, looking ready to piss himself. “Come here.” Mink grabs me by the arm and drags me off the bed too, proceeding to drag us out of the room itself.

Men in the hallway are all staring at us. We go through an open door at the end of the hallway, and enter the room I was taken to the first time. The men from the hallway join us, adding to the ones already in the room, and it went dead silent. After thrusting me away, Mink throws the other guy to the ground before him. “Mi-Mink-san, forgive me! Forgive me!” The man, completely pale, looks up at Mink while crawling a few feet back before scrambling onto his knees and bows with his face to the floor.

“Is it time for his punishment?” One guy with vivid green hair muses. “Guess so. But what’d he do?” Another guy answered, having pale blonde hair and a pink stud in his ear, he turns to the green haired guy who shrugs. “Who knows? Must’ve been something really bad though. Mink-san is pissed.”

The rest of the men begin whispering amongst themselves while watching the scenario play out. “Forgive me, please have mercy!” The man on the ground continues to plead. Mink stares at the begging man, emotionless. Then he grabs him by the collar without a word.

I can hear the sound of each bone breaking one by one in the man’s face as it’s effortlessly crushed by Mink’s fist. He collapses to the ground in violent convulsions as blood spills from his nose and mouth, white clumps join in the contents draining from his mouth. His teeth were all broken…

I was unable to speak.

Yet all the spectator’s eyes were now on me. All of them have broad grins on their faces like when they started beating on me earlier. They’re not… saying I’m next, right?

It was bad enough having these guys gang on me before but…! I glance back at the unconscious guy on the floor. I don’t want to end up like that…

Mink takes a step towards me. “Don’t fuck with me… Go away!” I snap at him even as I shakily back into the wall while he takes long strides that close the distance between us. I tense up right away. When he reaches for me I throw up my arm and he grabs it. Please no…

Yet he keeps the grip on my arm and starts to walk out. Heading right for the door we came through.

I see the green hair guy blinking at us as we pass, “…He’s not getting punished? Seriously? What the fuck… he looked like such a good one to do, too.”

Mink yells at the members to move out of the way and leads me down the hall. I can hear the men behind us talking and while I’m sure Mink can hear them too he doesn’t make any responses.

He ends up bringing me back to the room I’d woken up in. Having quite enough of being dragged here and there I shake my arm to loosen his grip. “Let me go…!” But it’s futile until he willingly lets go and sits on the bed. I look into his eyes, unable to figure out what he’s thinking. I feel intimidated for a moment, but then I return his gaze with a scowl.

It was like we were analyzing each other. I felt like prey looking into the eyes of its predator. I can’t show any weakness to him. “…What’s your goal here? Why did you bring me here and where’s my grandmother?” He doesn’t respond to my questions just like before. Yet more keep bubbling from my mouth, “Why did you beat that guy back there? Wasn’t he just following orders from you to harass me?”

“He was different.” Mink finally speaks. “I said no one could enter this room. That was his punishment for disobeying.”

Well that half answered my question but it left me with no answer as to what he planned to do with me now. “So what now? You going to beat me yourself? Rape me? Kill me? What?”

“Your most prominent trait is a lack of self-awareness.”

The hell was that suppose to mean? I open my mouth but he cuts me off, “I’ll only say this one more time. I didn’t beat that guy because he entered the room. It was because he did it without asking permission. He was seduced by your voice.”

“My voice?” I frown. Don’t tell me all these guys are creeps with some fascination with my voice too. What was so damn interesting about it anyway? I want to say that Mink didn’t even know what he was talking about, but instead I swallow my words.

That man that came into the room was clearly attached to my voice.

…But why does Mink know?

“I wondered why he would dare to disobey my orders in the first place. I don’t allow that. Those are the rules here.” Mink continues but the more this conversation goes on, the less I understand. “What are you trying to get at? This whole thing about my voice…” When he doesn’t answer I feel anger rise up again, “Answer me. And what about Grams? Where is she?!”

“I don’t know. You were my primary objective.” He answers. But then, if I was his target then… My vision blanks out until Mink pulls something from his breast pocket and waves it around. “What’s this?” He asks and I realize right away what he’s holding. My medicine.

I immediately reach out for it, but he quickly pulls away. “Give it!!” I yell while reaching again but unless I practically climb onto him—which wouldn’t end well I imagine—I can’t get to it. “Answer my question.”

“It’s just medicine for my headaches!”

“Is that so?”

“Grams is a pharmacist… I don’t know anything else.”

Mink lets out a laugh that sounds more like a snort, “You’re just like a junkie.” He puts my medicine back in his breast pocket and stands up from the bed, making me have to step back. He opens the door and in the hallway there are people talking. Two men come into the room shortly after, dragging something along until they drop it off in the room.

It’s a person. Dressed in black and on a closer look I can tell they’re faintly breathing. “Look at his neck.” Mink orders and I blink at him but then examine the neck of the man on the floor. It’s Morphine’s tag art…

Just like back at my house. Yet looking closer with more light available I can barely make out a previous tag painted out under Morphine’s. No it can’t… It’s just my imagination right…?

“Dry Juice…” I don’t want to but I roll the guy over to see his face. I definitely seen this guy among Dry Juice before…

“Seems him and some others came to your house before we did. Anyone else was already gone.” Mink explains while I’m trying to piece these facts together in my head. “So now you know. We have nothing to do with your grandmother.”

“But she’s…”

“We’re tracking down the other members right now.”

I face Mink with mixed feelings and shakily stand up, “Really? Then…”

But he holds up his hand, “Before that, we need to come to an agreement. I took you here because I needed to be sure about something. I have my answer so now you’re going to do whatever I tell you to do. Once you agree, I’ll help you find your grandmother.”

I find it hard to believe that he actually just said that. He might’ve just set this whole thing up himself. After everything else I got put through; there’s no way I could believe this. But I look back to the guy in black. Even if Mink’s lying, there’s no explanation why Morphine… why this happened to Dry Juice. Tough as Mink’s guys are, they couldn’t have conjured this all up in such a short amount of time with such a large team.

“If you don’t believe me, then you can go search for her yourself. Go ahead.” Mink gestures to the door, putting me on the spot. It’s frustrating to realize that I really have nothing to go on if I try looking myself. I look him in the eyes again, “You said that I’m what you want, but why?”

“There’s no reason to tell you now. Just hurry up and decide.”

This guy will never tell me what it is, but I have no other choice than to give in to his demands. “…I understand.”

“We’re leaving as soon as possible. Get ready.” Mink takes the medication out of his breast pocket and throws it to me. The action takes me by surprise and I barely catch it. Finally, I can control one pain. He said to get ready… Oh yeah, where’s my bag?

Mink leaves the room and as if to switch places with him, a colorful cockatoo comes in. He leaves something near my legs.

My bag!

“It’s your stuff. Take it.” The cockatoo speaks to me in a dandy voice while flapping his wings. Of course, it’s an Allmate. I saw him resting on Mink’s shoulder when I first woke up here but now I was able to take notice in the… interesting arrangement of accessories. An eye patch, braids, a bead necklace and a cigar. Now if that cigar starts smoking I might be impressed. “Are you Mink’s Allmate?”

“I am.” He replies, flapping his wings again before quickly leaving through the door. Maybe I shouldn’t be too surprised. I sit myself on the bed and pick up my bag, unzipping it a little to see if everything’s in there. Ren’s safe…

What? Oh that’s where my Coil went. I glance at my vacant wrist just taking full notice that it hadn’t been on this whole time. I first put my Coil back on my arm again. An icon flashes repeatedly to alert me of unread messages.

“Whoa…” My log is filled up with missed calls like raging waves. They’re all from Koujaku. I redial him, flustered.

“Aoba?!” He answers after barely one ring. “Yeah.” I answer back uneasily already imagining his expression. “You… Where have you been?!”

“Sorry.”

“I was so worried, you weren’t picking up at all!”

I scratch the back of my head, holding back the urge to hiss in pain so not to worry Koujaku any further than he already was. “Some things happened… But I’m going home now, so we’ll talk later.” There’s no point telling him about Mink right now. Considering how he took Noiz pulling me into a Rhyme match…

“Got it. I’m at Heibon right now, so go there.”

“Okay.”

Hearing Koujaku’s voice really bounced me back to reality in an instant. Outrageous things keep happening one after the other and by now I want to pass out cold from it all. But this is reality.

…I should go.

I take some pills for my headache, picked up my bag, and left the room.


	9. Keisen

From the outside view, I realized that the building I was taken to was in the North district. I leave the building and face the direction of the East district. I don’t know how much time I spent in that gloomy building, but the sun was high up in the sky as I left.

Mink traveled through the back streets rather than the main ones. It seems like he doesn’t want to be seen by too many people. For a person like him, there might be a reason he doesn’t want to be seen…

The headaches calmed down considerably, but I’m not in top shape and walk slowly. A distance starts to open up between Mink and I. We turn a bunch of corners, and I find myself about to lose sight of the back I’m supposed to follow. “Hey wait…!” I pick up pace to catch up to Mink and… Surprise. Right as I turn the corner, I find Mink standing there, staring down at me. Mink immediately averts his gaze and walks away.

I walked the rest of the way without further word, and eventually my surroundings changed. A little farther and I’ll be at Heibon. Just the thought of being back warmed my heart with a feeling of extreme nostalgia.

When I see Heibon’s sign, a shadow suddenly jumps at me from above. “Master--!!”

“C-clear!” I barely jump back least he would have fallen on me. Clear hits face first to the ground, but he stood up almost instantly, upbeat as usual, and clung to me. “Master! I’m so glad! Were you taken away somewhere?!”

“Ah… no.” Well yes but…

“As long as you’re safe! Last night I heard your voice from far away, and I got worried!” Clear whined and I felt his mask digging into my chest. Ow…

“My voice?” I barely register the mention of it but when I do, my brow raises at Clear skeptically. “Did you really hear me?”

Clear nods anxiously and his tail somehow wags faster than it was at the start. “Yes, I did! No matter the circumstances, I could never mistake Master’s voice for anyone else’s!”

“…Haha, I see. Thanks for that then.” I wasn’t sure what else I could say to that. But then Clear tilts his head and stares at me; then he pulls on my cheeks again. “Gah! You--!” I take a step back and escape from his prying fingers.

“You’re a lot more relaxed now… I wonder why?” Clear mumbles almost to himself while I take notice that Mink is watching us. I don’t want to know what he’s thinking of this…

How awkward…

Clear perks up however without notice and waves toward the door, “Now, please come inside, Master.”

We go inside Heibon and both Haga-san and Koujaku leap up, all color drained from their faces. “Are you okay?” Koujaku asks while rushing to my side. I smile lopsided, “Sort of.” I hear Haga-san breath with relief before Beni flies from Koujaku’s kimono to rest on his shoulder and peers at my bag. “Hey, is that dog okay too?”

“I’m here.” Ren answers, popping his head from my bag and looks up to Beni. “This gas mask guy came over to me and said you were kidnapped!” Koujaku jerks his chin in Clear’s direction, “I didn’t believe it at first, but then I couldn’t get in contact with you! And when I tried to ask Tae-san, I couldn’t reach her either! I know she hates Coils but…” Koujaku’s eyes suddenly shift behind me and he scowls. “Hey, that guy…”

Oh right.

“Ah, um—”

Koujaku ignores me, “You bastard… You’re Scratch’s Head, aren’t you?!”

Scratch? Isn’t that the name of a Rib team made up of prisoners? “You didn’t notice?” Koujaku asks to my blank expression. “No… I never saw their tag art.” Behind me I hear that snort of laughter Mink used before and I feel a flush in my face as I also recall his saying. My most prominent trait is a lack of self awareness.

Well sorry that I didn’t notice anything beyond having my face punched in… Not to mention that the building was so dark and dirty that I could barely see two feet in front of me. But… Actually I think there was some sort of pattern on the floor that could have been the tag art.

“Shit, a newcomer?” Beni speaks up while glaring intensely at Mink’s cockatoo. It however doesn’t return eye contact, showing that it doesn’t care in the slightest. “What a lovely cockatoo.” Haga-san mentions and Clear pipes in his own agreement but Beni huffs, “Heh, don’t be fooled. He’s a bitch, I can tell!”

“You’re quite a noisy fellow. How about you replace that habit of bantering with singing instead sparrow?” The cockatoo speaks without looking our way. Beni’s feathers fluff out. “You! Don’t you mess with me!!” Like a real bird, his hostility is clearly visible. “Low life scum should remain behind bars.” Koujaku pitches his own provocation toward Mink who responds back calmly, “You clearly don’t think before you speak.”

“Whaddya say? Why are you with Aoba? What are you trying to do here?”

I stare at Koujaku hoping he’ll catch a hint to not start something with this guy. Not that I doubt Koujaku could handle himself but… The image of that guy with his face smashed in is still burned in my mind.

“It has nothing to do with you.” Mink says and Koujaku’s eyes narrow, “Huh? Are you trying to start something?” The tension between them is reaching a level Noiz hit previously and I worry that Koujaku will actually start fighting again when Haga-san suddenly speaks up, “Ko-koujaku-kun, calm down.”

“Now, let’s just go inside. This is the entrance anyway.” I add in. Koujaku glares at Mink and clicks his tongue. Mink’s expression doesn’t really change, but he keeps looking at Koujaku. We finally make it inside the shop however and down to the basement where we start a makeshift meeting held around a table.

Haga-san took a smart route going back upstairs after showing us to the basement. Koujaku, Clear, Mink, and I sit down. “So, let’s continue off where we were. What happened to Tae-san? She isn’t responding at all.” Koujaku starts. “We know Tae-san hates Coils. So that might just be the issue here.” I glance off when he finishes, hesitating to speak and Koujaku flashes a frown. “What happened?”

“…She was taken.” I finally answer and Koujaku leans forward instantly, “By who?!” To that Mink blew some smoke from his pipe, bringing our attention on him before he says, “Morphine.”

Koujaku laughs scornfully at Mink’s words. “Hey now, don’t try to pull my leg here. Morphine? Tae-san doesn’t do Rib, you know that right?” Much as I would have agreed with him, I couldn’t after the evidence that’d been presented and I inform Koujaku of such. Any mention about Mink kidnapping me would only fan the flames, so I left that out. Koujaku listened with much seriousness, let out a small sigh, and leaned back on the sofa. “It’s unbelievable. Maybe “Morphine” is just some guys trying to trick you?” Koujaku glares Mink’s way with obvious hostility. “Who’s to say these guys aren’t the culprits?”

“If you don’t believe it, then you don’t have to push yourself to join in.” Mink mentions around his pipe. “Oh? Why do you feel the need to say that, you prick? You haven’t come up with jack shit here.” Growls Koujaku.

“You’re not the one who decides that, he does.” Mink points to me with his pipe. “In exchange for helping with the search for his grandmother, he accepted my conditions.”

“What the hell… What do you mean, accepted your conditions?” Koujaku looks to me instantly for an answer. “I have no obligation to tell you.” Mink cuts before I can say anything. “I’m just here to point out where her general location is, pursue the members of the team who abducted her, and relay that information. If you don’t believe that either, do whatever you want.”

Koujaku looks to me again with a questioning stare.

I…

…I already decided on this.

I can understand Koujaku’s anxieties and doubts all too well. It’s not like I trust Mink in the least either. But no one else knows where Granny could be. Blindly searching would be a waste of what time we have left. “Koujaku, I want to save Granny. I can’t think of any other way.” His scowl deepens at my words but he says nothing so I lean in closer, almost begging softly, “Please help me with this.”

“Aoba…” Koujaku’s anger gradually fades from his face, and his eyes gain a spark to them. “…I got it. That’s all you have to say. I’m not sold, but I just have to trust you.”

Good enough for me. I smile while giving my thanks. Koujaku once again scowls at Mink though who breathes out a puff of smoke and looks to the staircase. At first I thought he was trying to rile up Koujaku by ignoring him… but he looks like he’s observing something instead. I turn my head as well, wondering if something is there.

Mink turns his chin to his cockatoo. “Hey.” The cockatoo flaps its wings and goes out the door to the first floor. I hear clattering and then he brought something back with him. “P!”

“What’s that?” Koujaku asks before the cockatoo drops the item on a table. “A block?” Clear tilts his head at the familiar cube. “This…” I frown, “Noiz. It’s him again.”

“What bad manners.” Mink comments while Koujaku snorts, “Again? Does he eavesdrop for a hobby?”

“So this is what I heard at the door earlier.” Clear mentions while glancing toward the stairs and Mink looks to me, “An acquaintance?” I let out an uneasy laugh to that, “I guess you sort of could call him that.”

“An information gatherer… Not a very good one if I found this.” Mink snorts and suddenly the cube bounces in place before rolling it’s way closer to Mink and in a high pitch voice it lists off, “Mink. Height, 189cm. Birthday, September 26th. Blood type, O. Ambidextrous.” As soon as it finishes, silence fills the room with us all staring at the little cube. Mink is the one to finally speak, “Call him here.” He looks directly at me but even if he tells me to… How am I supposed to just call Noiz over here? “If he really goes all out to get information, it will be good to have more cards to play.”

Well he has a point…

I look at the cube and take a deep breath. For Grams sake. “…Noiz, you’re there right? Are you listening?” There’s no response, not that I was really expecting one, and I keep talking, “Some stuff happened, and it’s serious. Honestly, it might not be enough with only us. So… would you lend me a hand until it’s over? I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Aoba?!” I put a hand up to steady Koujaku who watches me uneasy while I keep talking to the cube, “So please. Please help me.”

…I don’t know how convincing that was, but a few minutes pass. Noiz then finally shows up to Heibon. All of these random people just lining up… It’s sort of an achievement. Noiz’s presence doesn’t help Koujaku’s nerves any further but it can’t be helped. “Isn’t Dry Juice the number one Rib team?” asks Noiz. When I nod he glances away as if in thought, “So a lot of people are in it.”

“My team members have been searching too, but they’re not coming up with anything.” Koujaku informs. “I also searched from the rooftops, but did not find anything.” Pitches in Clear and Noiz leans back with a leg propped up on the sofa, “They must be in some isolated place. The kind of place nobody’s allowed to enter so no one drops in.”

Mink nods, “That’s right. An information gathering maniac would know.” Noiz’s eyes snap to Mink as he mutters, “I’m not a maniac.” Mink takes a slow whiff from his pipe. “Your grandmother has been taken to Keisen. In the north.”

“Keisen?” I question. “Actually, there are unused warehouses up there.” Koujaku mentions like an afterthought and Mink points his pipe toward Noiz, “Investigate it.”

Noiz frowns, “I don’t remember taking orders from you.”

“Think of it as an exchange. We both want some things sorted out, don’t we?”

Noiz clicks his tongue angrily at Mink, pulls out the monitor and keyboard from his Coil, and begins the operation. “Why do you get to call the shots?” Koujaku asks Mink irritably and Mink looks at him from the corner of his eyes, “Fine, you go ahead and take the initiative.”

Koujaku bends forward, not quite satisfied with the answer. Mink’s Allmate stops cleaning its self and raises its head. “I think you shouldn’t waste your energy yelling like that.”

“’Ey you, shaddup!” Beni glares at the cockatoo from Koujaku’s shoulder, feathers flared up. “Allmates really are just like their owners.” The cockatoo remarks. “What’dya say?! You bastard!!”

“Both of you shut up.” Noiz grumbles loud enough for the two Allmates to go quiet and he turns the monitor over for us to see. On it is a map of the Old Resident District with a red arrow pointing to a spot. “This is where Keisen is. When I tried to access their network I got an error. If it was a normal, off-limits area, there wouldn’t have been a network in the first place. This place’s data has a blank error screen. In short, it’s a fake. It’s trying to emulate a defunct network.”

“So we were right.” Koujaku leans closer to the map and Noiz shrugs, “I guess. There used to be a lot of treatment plants built here.”

“But they all closed down and became off-limits a few years ago.” I cut in. Koujaku nods to the fact, “And it’s still used as a dump, an illegal one at that. No one’s ever cracked down on it.”

“I’ve received some reports on roughly where your grandmother is.” Mink adds and while there’s no concrete proof that she’s there, it was worth the chance. But Koujaku brings up another matter, “Even if Tae-san’s kidnappers are here, we have no idea what this place is like. Isn’t that dangerous?”

Clear suddenly raises his hand to get our attention, “I know that place quite well.”

“This isn’t the time to joke around.” Sighs Koujaku. “I know. I really do know this area. I used to take walks in this area a long time ago.” No one responds which Clear takes notice in as he looks between us, “Eh? What is it? Why did everyone suddenly go quiet? Do you doubt me? Please don’t do that! I really do know! I can draw you a map if you want me to!” Clear, unhappy with our reactions, takes out a piece of paper and pen from his coat pocket. He glides the pen across the paper without a single pause. “Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Squeak. Squeak. Annnd… Here. Done! I’m finished!” With that he holds up his doodle and Koujaku stares skeptically while asking, “Are you serious about this map?”

Mink takes the map from Clear and brings it to Noiz. “Compare it.” It doesn’t take Noiz long to do so and almost hesitantly he announces a match, causing another silence in the room until Clear’s whining breaks it, “Didn’t I say I know it?! You’re all so mean!”

He sounds like he’s going to cry at this rate and I clap my hands together while Noiz closes down the monitor. “Well, with this we won’t get lost. Let’s follow it.”

“Follow… This mask guy?” Koujaku looks at the rest of us with a reluctant expression. “All he does is weird crap… Why should we?”

“You have no right to say that about someone else old man.” Noiz sighs.

“Shut up.” Koujaku snaps at him but Noiz doesn’t look our way, “I don’t have the intention of getting buddy-buddy with you all. I’m just here for business.”

“Then we should split up.” Koujaku decides and I open my mouth to protest yet, “It’s better that way. Even if we lay out a detailed plan, there’s no guarantee that everyone will follow it exactly.” Mink puts in his input. “That’s what I’ve been saying!” yells Koujaku until Mink looks at him, “I was talking about you and gas mask over there.”

“What was that?!”

“Eh, me? That’s awful! I wanted to be friends with all of you!” Clear whines, prompting a snort from Noiz. “Keep your jokes to yourself.”

….This is impossible. I thought it would be and I was right. No one is cooperating. If they shifted the amount of energy they’re putting into arguing into some work…

“Hey, gas mask guy. Don’t butt into our conversation and shut up!” snaps Koujaku.

“You should do the same.” Noiz mumbles. Clear flails his arms, continuing his whine, “No way! So mean!”

While I’m sitting here at my wit’s end, these guys just keep going on and on like little brats. This really isn’t the time… Grams could be in even more danger for all we know. And they’re still just sitting here wasting time…

These guys…

Are seriously…

With no patience left, I slam my hands on the table and yell at them. _“You guys, cut this shit out already!!”_ I figure even with this they won’t listen to me. But then I realize that every single one of them snapped their mouths shut while staring at me.

Wait seriously…? Now they listen to me?

“It’s just like Aoba said. We need to stop this.” Koujaku speaks up first. “It was useless to waste our time with this in the first place.” Noiz says and stands up. “Anyway, let’s go.” Mink also stands, blowing out another cloud of smoke. “That’s right. Let’s go.” Clear is the last to get up and I stare at how quick, like the flip of a switch, they came to some mutual understanding. Maybe I should have yelled at them sooner…?

…Well whatever.

I pull myself together and get up to follow everyone out.

***

The North District’s Keisen was like a ghost town, completely in ruins with an eerie atmosphere. More and more large warehouses were being built, but they were all labeled “No Trespassing”, so this area became a place to illegally dump trash. As if to deck out the empty buildings, people would throw their old furniture and anything else really, into them.

While being careful, we follow Clear’s lead. There are mountains of trash here, and it leads me to remember something. “This… looks like that place from the game.”

“Game?” Koujaku turns to me. “This game that was sent to me. Well it was more like a demo movie. Some bats kidnapped a character that looked like Granny and took her to where there was trash heaps.” I explain and Clear glances around us, “This place certainly is a dump.” Koujaku snorts, “It’s just a coincidence.”

“I thought so too, but it’s still strange.”

“Isn’t there a treatment center around here?” Noiz asks yet without really waiting for an answer he pulls up the map on his Coil and shows it to us. “It’s the tallest standing building in this area.” He informs while zooming the map in. “I’ll go there immediately.” Clear quickly walks in the building’s direction.

He did say that he used to take walks here, but he’s a weird one isn’t he…

We walk along a trash ridden path and see a giant building. This must be it. “…Please wait.” Clear puts his arm out to stop us. “What’s wrong.” I ask, taking notice in Clear’s ears twitching as he leans slightly forward. “I can hear it. Right now. In there.”

“I don’t hear anything.” Koujaku claims but his own ears shift forward like he’s trying to catch whatever Clear is talking about. I listen carefully too, but all I can hear is the rustling of trash. “I hear them. They’re in there.” Clear states firmly as he turns back to us. “…Let’s go.” Making sure we breathe quietly, we start to advance towards the plant. As we get closer, clinging to the walls, I finally hear the faint sound of people inside. Just as Clear had said.

I touch the bag under my arm. Ren is in sleep mode. I stroke the top of my bag just to reassure myself. This is where the “No Trespassing” signs start. Just to make sure a signal doesn’t come off from an Allmate, everyone is keeping theirs turned off.

I see a door slightly opened that looks like a back entrance along the wall. Koujaku peeks into it cautiously. “We’re all going in.” Mink says, making Koujaku retract back, “As far as it goes, we should wait for the right chance to get near those guys. We don’t know what’s in there.”

We decide that Koujaku, Mink, Clear, and I will go inside. Noiz will be on the sidelines, acting as network surveillance and erasing real-time history of us being here. “There’s no problems on my side.” He calls to us. I look over to Noiz. He looks really focused. It seems like it’s a better idea not to say anything.

“Isn’t this exacting?” Clear whispers into my ear. I jump slightly and then frown, “You make it sound like some game.”

“Let’s go.” On Mink’s signal, Koujaku opens the door.

There was a crowd of black-clothed people in a room that was otherwise empty. Are these guys… part of Morphine? All of them turn around and see us. Then they all run full-speed towards us. Koujaku and Mink head forward first and cut through the crowd. I follow with the indecisive Clear close behind.

I hear footsteps behind us. It’s Beni-Shigure coming to join in the fight. Koujaku exchanges looks with his members and knocks down the black-clothed people one by one. Mink fights them with his fists, taking two, even three members down at once before I recognize some people from Scratch run in as well.

I go to join in the fight as well but I can’t avoid one of black clothed guys and an elbow hits my chin. He pulls his fist back for another hit, but I stop him with my arm. Yet he starts to rapidly pound me with his other fist. “You’re so damn persistent…!” I look at his face, and the sight sends shivers down my spine.

…What’s wrong with this guy’s eyes?

They look blank, just like a doll’s. And when I take a better look at his face, I realize something. A golden retriever guy… He’s part of…! As I stand distracted, he takes the chance to send a blow to my shoulder. The pain travels as far as my fingertips. “That hurt, you asshole!” I reflexively turn and let loose a roundhouse kick. I hit his stomach, and he looks as if he’s about to crumble to the ground.

The people here…

Are they all Dry Juice?!

A fist comes at me from the side, and I kick at it in a panic. Where’d Clear go? “Clear! Are you okay?!” I call out. “Yes! Clear here! I’m okay Master!” As I turn around to the sound of his voice, Clear was standing there facing some of the black-clothed men. “Please, don’t use violence!” Clear yells like a war cry as he punches a guy and the man flies half way across the room.

…Well, then.

The main matter is that these guys have not said a thing since we barged in. All they’ve done is pursue and attack us with blank expressions the whole time. And the one I just saw had doll-like eyes…

I spy Koujaku fighting with a hoard of those black-clothed goons. “Hey, over here!” As I yelled out, the black-clothed guy aiming for Koujaku turned around in caution. “Take this!” I let loose another roundhouse kick and knocked out two of the guys on one side. I threw out my fist into the stomach of one of the guys on the floor. “Thanks for that!” Koujaku smiles at me, gripping his sheathed sword, and then he frowns again. “Anyway, aren’t these guys part of Dry Juice?!” After hearing Koujaku say that, my doubts began to turn into certainty. “But, then why are they doing this…?!”

“Master! I hear more sounds coming from the inside! They’re gathering!” I hear Clear call and nearby Mink turns to him. “So this was a decoy.” Mink quickly starts running into the interior of the factory. Noticing this, Koujaku whips around and yells, “Hey, don’t just run off… Tch!” Before he can go after Mink, a black-clothed guy gets up and tries to attack until Koujaku knocks him back down.

The rest that had been downed begin to rise up too like zombies. Koujaku mows them down with the back of his sword. “Plucking the leaves won’t kill the tree! I’ll do something about this, so you head in first!” He yells to me. “Got it! Thanks a lot!” This isn’t the time to hesitate.

I run with Clear and Mink to the inner parts of the factory. We jump into a passageway, and three black-clothed men are standing there to block the way. “Guess we’ll have to deal with this.” Mink mentions and glances at me, “Hey, go on ahead.”

I look at him bewildered to the idea of just leaving at a time like this. Mink beats a man who runs up to us then looks back to me and Clear again, “Hurry it up. Gas mask, get over here.”

“What?! I want to stay with Master!” Clear protests until Mink grabs him by the collar of his jacket and drags him to his side. His piercing eyes catch me. Part of me wants to stay and help yet…

I grit my teeth together and turn to Clear. “Clear, I’m counting on you! Do what Mink says!”

As if to further support the cause, Mink tells Clear, “I’ll be in trouble if you’re useless.” Well it wasn’t the kindest of sayings but Clear perks up all the same and stands more firmly at Mink’s side, “Understood! If that’s what you wish, Master!”

Another black-clothed man starts to come closer, breaking down what stance Clear had, “Ahhh! Please stoooop!” He cries out and punches the guy in his panic, sending him flying into the wall. “Hurry up and go.” Mink barks at me again.

“…Alright!” I pass through a line between the black-clothed guys and Mink’s men and ran full speed to the door farther inside. I open the door and go outside.

In front of me are a parking lot space, a car, and a black colored van. Around it stands a crowd of people. Three people come out of the back seat of the car and move towards the open van. I see the person in the middle… and yell out without thinking. “Grams!”

The men notice me and begin to run towards me until a single person calls for them to stop. I can’t see his face because of his hood. The hooded person comes closer to me, but keeps a small distance and stops. He pulls down his hood slowly with both hands.

My heart stops.

“I almost didn’t think you’d come all the way out here. That’s just like you, Aoba.”

It’s… Mizuki?!

“Mizuki… You, why… To Granny…” I’m too shocked to speak as Mizuki stares at me. He shows off a superficial smile. “I waited up for the guys I sent to find you, but for you to come all the way here… I wonder if they were caught then.”

…No way. This isn’t the Mizuki I know. Saying these things with that horrible smile. “What happened to you? Both Koujaku and I were so worried when Dry Juice disappeared…”

“Ah, that? Listen, Aoba. It’s amazing. We were reborn as members of Morphine.” Mizuki says with a strange glimmer in his eyes like utter awe. “They’re not just some group in Rib. Being in Morphine is like being Gods.”

“…Are you serious?” I couldn’t believe I was hearing this from him. But he kept going on. “Of course I am. Did you think I was joking? Dry Juice is now an absolute being. No other team could possibly pass Morphine. Haha, hahahaha!” Mizuki starts to laugh with a huge smile on his face. The expression is so disturbing to see and the surrounding members don’t move a muscle. They’re all like dolls like the guy I saw up close.

“Mizuki, open up your eyes! This is nuts!” I yell, ceasing Mizuki’s laughter. “Huh? What’re you saying? You’re the weird one, Aoba. You never once accepted an invitation to any team. I was calling out to you with all seriousness, you know? Did you think that Rib was just something stupid to play?”

“Of course not!”

“Then why didn’t you join a team? You knew that I was always serious about it.” Mizuki holds out his hand toward me with that smile returning to his face, “Aoba, it’s not too late. And I’ll even offer you a high ranked position. Become a comrade of the reborn Dry Juice.”

I look from his hand to his face and shake my head. “Never.” I know Mizuki is completely serious when it comes to Rib. But this isn’t him. That smile on his face somehow gets more distorted, “…I see. Whatever. I have a good idea. Aoba, you really love your grandma, don’t you?”

Mizuki grabs Granny, puts her in a hold, and then holds a knife to her neck. I can feel a cold sweat drip down my back. “Mizuki… Stop this…”

“I will if you join my team.”

Granny’s face becomes stiff and she closes her eyes. Seeing her put on such an expression of acceptance… “Let go of her!” My heart pounds just taking one step forward. “You really don’t get it, do you? I already told you. Become part of our team.” Mizuki chuckles and I shake my head fiercely. “I said I won’t!”

Irritation shows on Mizuki’s face. “You think I’m just bluffing? That I’m all talk? Fine then. Don’t regret it afterwards, after all, you’re the one who didn’t choose to join me.”

I see the blade start to slide over Gram’s neck and blood trickles out. “Hey, Mizuki! Stop!” I cry out desperately and my legs start running on their own.

Granny!!

I grab Mizuki by the collar of his coat and look into his eyes. Suddenly, my vision starts to blur.


	10. Scrap

Wha…t…?

This is…

This is Mizuki’s shop. And yet it’s not.

Inside it are countless customers, more than it’s ever had before. But every one of them is missing their face. Only floating, bright red, slimy mouths are wriggling with joyful giggle to them. I could hear them all speaking word for word.

“Eh, Rib is so out of style!”

“Yeah, Rhyme is so much better!”

“Rib is gonna be dead soon, right?”

“People are just gonna do Rhyme from now on.”

“Rib is gonna be out of the picture.”

All these garbled, high pitch voices jumble up my mind. I desperately try to cover my ears but I can still hear them. “Wha-What is this?!” I can barely hear myself in this.

This can’t be real.

Am I dreaming…?

But… this sensation.

It’s like the time when I was pulled into Rhyme.

I try to think of something, anything to get these voices out of my head.

Shut up, shut up…

My head hurts.

These voices are giving me a horrible headache.

I’m going to go crazy…!

I start to feel an unusually hot wetness pour from my ears into my hands, that’s still pressed to them, until I move my hands to see. It’s a black, slimy liquid, like tar. Within the liquid is a bunch of katakana and hiragana characters mixed together. They match everything the voices were saying. I cry out in horror, smacking at my ears to make it stop but they’re overflowing with the tar stuff down my cheeks and to the floor. “What’s going on…?!”

If this is some dream, I want to wake up!

But it feels so real.

I have to get out of here.

As I search for the entrance, I suddenly feel someone’s gaze on me. When I turn around, I pass a familiar face. They have a face! I start running after the figure, the tar like liquid suddenly dissipating from existence in my sprint.

I push through the crowd with both hands towards the inside of the shop. I open a door and enter right into Dry Juice’s HQ.

What?

Before I can process what happened I glance to the stair case where Dry Juice’s tag was drawn and there I see the guy I spotted in the shop, holding his head down. I slowly walk up to him. I don’t know what will happen at this point. But I know who he is. “Mizuki…”

Mizuki slowly raises his head, wearing his normal clothes and the tattoo on his neck intact. He looks distraught, as if he’s about to cry. “Aoba… Help me, Aoba.” Suddenly the tag art turns black and blood scatters everywhere, matching how Koujaku and I found it before. “What happened to you…?” I turn back to Mizuki, trying to ignore our surroundings.

“I don’t know what I should do.” Mizuki whimpers. “About Dry Juice. Rib is so fun, and I love it so much… That’s why I’m always thinking seriously about Dry Juice. What kind of team we need to be so everyone enjoys it, so no one ever comes to hate it. I’ve been thinking about how to do that.

“I was thinking of how we could make it seem like we were family.”

I nod to his words, already knowing this. “That’s why Dry Juice became the largest team.” Yet Mizuki shakes his head looking further distressed, “But… That’s just not good enough anymore!” He hangs his head in frustration, balling both hands into fists. “Rhyme’s become so popular that it’s not working anymore. Everyone is losing interest in Rib, it was like a dream from the past… And they just throw it away like that! In the end, both Rib and Rhyme are just games. People always like new and fun things more. But I…

“Both Rib and Dry Juice, they were so important to me that I didn’t want to let go of them! Getting serious about it was stupid, but I couldn’t just let go of it! Our members are steadily moving over to Rhyme, and we aren’t getting many new recruits… All the effort I put into friendships are crumbling away.”

It pains me to watch Mizuki say these things while looking so miserable… I clench my teeth. I know that Mizuki holds Dry Juice very close to him. But for him to brood like this… I’ve been close to him for a long time, but I’ve never noticed how much he was hurting. It makes me so frustrated to realize how oblivious I was.

If I’d been more willing to talk about personal things like that with Mizuki…

“It bothered me every day, but I couldn’t figure out what to do about it. And then I met a guy that said he was a Morphine member.”

I jerk my head up at the mention of Morphine while Mizuki keeps talking almost like he’s babbling to himself. “Since Dry Juice was the best team out there, I didn’t join Morphine. At the start, he was suspicious as hell, and said what I was thinking all the time. But then I met more members from Morphine… and eventually I thought it was okay. If my team knew I became a member of Morphine, then everyone wouldn’t go to Rhyme instead. I could finally boast about Dry Juice again.”

I bit my lip, “Then you really did join Morphine…”

“Yeah. But that was a huge mistake. Morphine wasn’t what I thought it was. Morphine, they’re…”

Before he can finish the scene around us shifts to a large group of people all fighting among each other. Mizuki himself changes back to the black clothing and his neck tattoo gets blotched out with Morphine’s tag. He’s no longer looking at me. “No… You’re lying… Dry Juice finally became a part of Morphine, isn’t that what I told you?! But why…”

I can’t see who or what he is talking to.

“Don’t mess with me… Damn it…!! ….Ugaahhhhhhhhhh!!” Mizuki’s facial expression suddenly changes. He falls to the ground on his knees. “Mizuki?!” I call out to him but he grips his head like it’s tearing apart and continues screaming. His eyes turn in every direction while tears pour from them and saliva drains from the corners of his mouth.

What’s happening to him?!

“Hey, Mizuki!”

I can’t tell if he can even hear me as he lets out one hoarse scream after another. I rush over to Mizuki and grab hold of his shoulders. My head starts to hurt as I shake Mizuki trying to snap him out of it.

I can see something.

These images. These… memories.

These are…

My…

 

“Mizuki!!” I scream and find myself shooting up right from a laying down position.

This is… The parking lot again?

“You’re finally awake.”

That voice…

I turn slightly and see Grams beside me and I realize then that I had been resting on her lap. “Granny, why, how—Huh?”

“It’s been chaos ever since you got here.” She tells me and I notice a small cut on her neck. I was… I stopped Mizuki from…

Where was he?

“Mizuki…”

Grams turns her head slightly, “He’s over there.” I follow where she’s looking and see Mizuki lying face down. Koujaku, Noiz, Mink, and Clear are all there too. Upon noticing me, Koujaku and Clear approach me first. “Are you okay, Aoba?” Koujaku asks, crouching down to grip my shoulder. “Master!” Clear settles himself right in beside me and I feel an overwhelming amount of relief somehow. My body is so heavy…

“Granny…”

“What?”

“My head hurts…”

Grams smiles lightly at me, “Take some medicine later. We’re going home.”

…Home. Just hearing that makes me so happy.

I’m so glad…

Power runs out in my body and I pass out.

***

The next time I open my eyes, all I see is the ceiling of my room. I blink a few times, and slowly my sense of reality comes back to me.

Ouch…

The inside of my head keeps pounding. I need some medicine…

Sluggishly getting up, I see Ren coiled up at the end of the bed. Just like how he always would… on a normal day. Looking at him, I feel like I’ve come back to my senses. I reach out my hand to Ren and start to lightly pet him. He starts up.

“Good morning, Ren.”

“Good morning. How’s your health?” He asks. Despite everything I been through, the part that hurt worse was my head. “I have a headache.” I answer. “I see. You haven’t taken any medicine yet?”

“Nope. Let’s head downstairs.” I hold Ren in my arms and leave the room. A violent vibration keeps moving through my body with each step. But I smell the scent of food coming from the hallway and forget the pain for a little while.

Grams must’ve made something.

When I enter the living room, Koujaku, Noiz, and Clear are all sitting at the dinner table. Mink is sitting on the couch in the other room by himself. On the table is food that Granny has lined up, and my stomach starts to rumble.

“Finally up, Aoba?” chuckles Koujaku. Clear turns his head instantly, “Master!”

“Yo, Ren. I came to visit.” I hear Beni before noticing him on Koujaku’s shoulder. “Hey.” Ren greets him. “How are you doing?” Koujaku leans back slightly in his chair and I smile warily while trying to think up an answer to that. “Okay. I’m not feeling too great though.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Koujaku looks down and lets out a small sigh. The atmosphere around everyone here gives me the feeling that they’re all tired. Well of course they’d be…

Something unbelievable happened back there. “How’s Mizuki?” I ask, the image of him face down burned in my mind. “Mizuki and the rest of Dry Juice members are all in the hospital. Seems like none of them have woken up yet.”

Back there…

I confronted Mizuki as he was about to load Grams into that van. Somehow we’d both fallen down and I don’t remember if everything else between us that happened was a dream or reality.

There’s only one thing that I clearly remember.

And that… is my past.

I had forgotten all about it until now, but it suddenly came back to me. Noiz had been right, I really had participated in Rhyme a long time go. That’s why I somehow was instructing Ren in that Drive-By.

But… Why did I forget?

Was there a point in time when I just forget about it all?

“So you’re awake.” Granny turns to me. When I look to her she softly grunts and place a plate on the table. “I’ll help.”

“I’m almost done. You hurry up and sit down too.”

I hesitate a little but then make my way toward the table. “Okay. I got it.” I obediently take an empty seat. “Granny, are you sure you’re okay now?” I ask and receive a snort in response, “Worry about yourself first. You’re the one who fell flat on your face.”

I listen and don’t say another thing. Even with Grams safe, in the end I just made her even more worried. Feeling awkward, I take my plate. At first I just poked at the food with my chopsticks, feeling depressed, but once I took a bite that all flew away.

Suddenly my appetite grows larger. It was like I hadn’t eaten in years.

Everyone else couldn’t stop eating either and in a flash all our plates were in the air, ready for more. Mink didn’t come to the table until the last minute.

 

The medicine I take calms me down, and I open my mouth. “…Granny, can I ask something?” She looks my way, “What?” I almost hesitate with the question, unsure if I want to hear the answer, but then go for it anyway, “Was Mizuki… really the person that took you?”

Her gaze falls to the teacup in her hands. “Yes. He called me from the back. He said that he wanted something with you and that he wanted me to come too. I thought it was odd at first, but then he suddenly gagged me and dragged me into the car.”

“So it was him…” I glance to my hands, “But why you?”

Grams stays silent with a troubled look on her face but slowly opens her mouth, “Aoba. And the rest of you too. First, I haven’t given my thanks yet. Because of you all, I’m safe now. Thank you.”

“Grams…”

“I’m going to tell you something very serious right now.” She continues, “The truth is that I should’ve said this earlier… but all I can do is say it now. It’s a better idea than never. So make sure you listen up.”

Everyone looks at Granny, completely silent.

“Now, Mizuki was the one who kidnapped me… But he was being manipulated.”

“By Morphine, right?” I cut in without fully thinking and shut my mouth again right away. “Yes. But Morphine is not what you think it is. It is my guess that they are under influence of Toue Inc.”

“Toue…?” Now it’s Koujaku that cuts in but he goes quiet too. “The old fart that bought this island and made Platinum Jail, huh.” Noiz inputs. I frown with confusion, “But what does Morphine have to do with Toue?” Granny watched us talk and once again lowered her eyes to her teacup. “…I used to be one of Toue’s researchers about twenty years ago.”

My eyes widen to the news and I almost don’t want to believe it but she really said it.

“Toue has always been doing neural research. To put it simply, I worked with the brain’s plasticity. We tested how some drugs could affect brains that had lost their functionality. I was hoping to find the solution to be able to save people who had brain damage; I always believed that it was an amazing thing to study.

“But, it didn’t turn out to be that way. Toue’s real objective was to find a way to manipulate people in any and every way possible. That’s what the research was for. I believe that they often designed secretive programs, and the issues grew over time. When I looked into it, it was there in their documents. In there I read that they had perfectly substituted a person’s consciousness.

“When I saw that, I felt like I was dead. I did it all to save people, and in the end it backfired. After that I stopped all of my research and quit. I decided that I’d return to this island, my hometown, and live the rest of my life in peace, without Toue in it. But, a little while ago I got a message. From Toue.”

As if my eyes couldn’t get any wider, they somehow do while I also feel a tinge of anger in my chest.

“He wrote that there was an emergency at the research center and requested that I return. But I kept refusing. I never want to associate myself with him ever again. He must’ve gotten furious at me and took action through Morphine.”

Even as Grams explained that I still felt lost in what was placed before me. “But, then why was Mizuki… Why was Dry Juice caught up in it?” I ask while trying to understand.

Granny’s hands tighten around her cup, “Recently, haven’t young people all around the island been disappearing? They drug them up, cause them to lose their senses, and make them their patients. I think those are Toue’s victims. They coax them into Morphine and release them into the city, just so they can be monitored for progress. Otherwise they would have released failed subjects.”

The term sends a tremor through me, “Failed subjects…?”

“The ones who can’t handle it and break down. Their minds are destroyed and they become invalid.”

“Then… what happens to the successful ones?” Koujaku asks cautiously.

“They’re retrieved and are subjected to even more experiments. Like when I spoke of the people with substituted consciousness… They’ve lost their will by then. Didn’t you see it when you looked at Mizuki?”

Anger flares up in me and I rise slightly from my seat, “What’s Toue trying to do with the research? What’s going to happen to the island?”

“Most likely to rid all people on this island of their minds. That way Toue will be able to rule unopposed over his Kingdom. If the method to break a person’s mind is found quickly enough, he’ll also be able to buy other countries. Toue has his hands deep in this Old Residential District. It’s been peaceful for several years now, but… his real plan may be only beginning now.”

Which means everyone on the island will become like those test subjects? Haga-san, the stupid brats, Yoshie-san, everyone…

“…We have to stop him. I won’t let him. I’ll never let that happen.” As I mutter those words, Granny looks at me with a pained expression. “…There’s still something I have to say, Aoba. It’s about you.”

I briefly forget my anger as I look back to Grams and tilt my head, “Me?”

She nods, “You lost consciousness when you came to save me, didn’t you?”

Her question reminds me of the moment and I hesitantly nod, “I had a really realistic dream too… I talked with Mizuki in it.”

“That wasn’t a dream.” Grams suddenly states. “What you were seeing was Mizuki’s conscious.”

His what?

Granny makes sure of something while looking into my eyes. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me so easily, but… You’re able to mix your consciousness with others.”

…What?

What did she say?

My consciousness in someone else’s?

I don’t understand how that even…

“We called that ability, Scrap.” Grams says without blinking and I slowly repeat it myself before she continues, “In your case, you can induce Scrap with your voice.”

And to that images flicker through my mind. To every moment that something has been about my voice. The customers at Heibon. The guy at Mink’s HQ. Calling Noiz in to help. Clear’s statements. And when I yelled at everyone in the basement of Heibon.

“Your voice has the power to pull people in. If you decide to put it to use, you’ll be able to gain access to other’s minds. If you’re doing it to someone you know well, and have a deep wish or desire, you will most likely be able to plant that into the consciousness with your own. But if you use physical contact, the other person will be completely defenseless.

“When you do that, as soon as you speak… There’s a possibility that their mind will break. That’s just a theory.”

Just a theory? I was already finding it difficult to understand but now… I can control people with my voice? Break them even? I don’t get it at all.

“So that’s what it was.” Mink, who was in the other room, walks in at some point, arms folded and leaning on the wall. “Scrap is a strong power in your voice.” Grams claims without pause. “I can’t say what you saw exactly when you passed out. But it was likely…”

Mizuki’s conscious.

“I talked to Mizuki back there. He was like he usually is but… He told me about how he was in so much pain, and how he worried about Rib and Dry Juice.”

“So that’s what he was so hung up about…” Grumbles Koujaku more to himself than anything. Grams sets down her cup and looks at me, “The one you were speaking to was the real Mizuki, with no lies in place to protect him. How did you answer?”

I thought back to that moment the best I could, explaining how I suddenly remembered things from my past. Including my experience in Rhyme which nabs Noiz and Koujaku’s attention. “But… When I was talking to Mizuki, it felt weird… I can’t really describe it. Mizuki… He was telling me something. That Morphine wasn’t what it appears to be and then he was suddenly in so much pain…”

Deep wrinkles form on Granny’s brow, she snorts, and leans back in her seat. There was still the matter at hand to talk about but her silence stays heavy. Everyone waits on the next thing she has to say. “This is my opinion, and I’m not trying to condemn you at all. But… It’s a horrible way of saying it. Aoba, you left him there. His consciousness is shattered. If he ever does come back, it’ll be from his own willpower.”

I almost fall out of my seat feeling like all the air in my lungs had been knocked out. Mizuki’s mind was destroyed… and it was my fault? My vision blacks out.

Mizuki…

“Aoba.”

I blink at Granny’s voice and somehow manage to lift my head back up to her. “Your power is capable of destroying people. That’s why you need to be aware of it. I’ve always been thinking about when I should tell you… I’ve always been here for you. I’ve been able to protect you in this cage. But now that’s no good anymore. If you use it to protect me, it’ll just go wild and all you’ll be met with is misery in the end.

“You were one of the first there when Toue began his research. They wanted that power. This time they’re forcing their way in, but I don’t know what Toue is up to right now. That’s why you have to go on your own now, Aoba.”

Even if you say that…

I can’t just accept it like that.

But I understand that letting Toue do whatever he wants is dangerous. If I ignore him or worse, let him get a hold of… whatever this power is… this island will become his plaything.

“A special even is opening in Platinum Jail soon. It’s not clear what it’ll be about until the day it opens, but they’re offering it to the Old Resident District too.”

Clear tilts his head to Gram’s words, “Why is the Old Resident District being invited? Isn’t it usually isolated from Platinum Jail?”

Noiz pipes in before Granny can answer, “They’re opening it to the public, and testing things out by inviting the District.” Grams simply nods to Noiz’s theory, “Exactly. With this event, they’ll be able to observe the results of their experiments.”

“How are they going to observe them?” asks Koujaku. “Songs, speeches, lights, videos… They want to figure out how the people can be broken, and if they can acquire anything new.”

With her saying that, there’s nothing we can do before the event, is there…

But Koujaku seems to think otherwise as he glances my way, “We’d better get to Platinum Jail as soon as possible. Maybe even tomorrow.”

“How are we going to do this?” I lean forward for whatever idea he’s got but Granny lets out a pained breath. “Well… I’ve talked a lot, haven’t I, even though you all kept interrupting me. It wasn’t much… But I told you of the truth and I’m sorry for getting you all caught up in this.” Granny faces us and lowers her head. We all look to her uneasy of the gesture and after keeping her head lowered for a few more seconds, she looks at everyone. “Now, you all must be tired. You all could do more if you’d like, but it’s better to let yourselves rest now.” No one else said a word.

Everyone left the living room with a meek look on their face. Clear heads up to the second floor while Mink goes outside, Koujaku seems to linger in the kitchen as Noiz wanders into the living room with Grams.

Figuring I could perhaps catch a few more hours of sleep, I go back to my room, flop onto my bed, and stare at the ceiling. The only thing that runs through my head is what Granny said. I don’t feel like sleeping at all.

Mizuki and his group being manipulated by Morphine. Granny being a researcher for Toue. Toue’s real intentions. My forgotten memories. But above all that is what I’ve learned about my power… Scrap. And how I’ve might have broken Mizuki forever…

No matter how many times I roll around in my sheets or let out deep sighs, the heavy feeling never goes away. If only I’d listened to what Mizuki had to say back there, I might’ve been able to save him. That’s what Grams said.

Even if I didn’t know… I still can’t forgive myself.

I look up to the ceiling again and pound my face into my pillow. An uneasy feeling in my arms suddenly surfaces and won’t seem to fade at all. “…Damn it.” I don’t want to think about this alone anymore.

By my feet is Ren, curled up in a ball. I hold him close to me and he reactivates. “Aoba, what happened?” He asks and I just bury my face into his fur. “Nothing really.” There’s a quick silence before Ren stirs to look up at me, “Aoba, aren’t you going to sleep? You look tired.”

“Well… I keep thinking about lots of things, and they’re piling up really.” I sit cross-legged and Ren looks up at me, still curled up in a ball in my arms. “Lots of things happened, but… I’m mostly thinking about Mizuki.”

“Is this about the possibility of saving him with your power if you had used it correctly?” Ren tilts his head. I feel a twinge in my chest. “I kept wondering, what if he never wakes up again?”

“I think it was impossible for you to have picked the exact words necessary in that situation.” Even though Ren was right, I still can’t help but think about what I’d done. And my headaches, I start piecing together the things Granny said with things that’d happen in the last couple days and wonder. Was my medicine holding back Scrap all this time? I would always take it without question. So what if I hadn’t? I don’t want to think of the possible danger in that.

I stand up from bed, petting Ren one more time before leaving my room. I walk down the hallway, noticing some lights in the house were now off and see the shadow of someone sitting on the staircase below me. Before I can speak, the person turns around. “Yo.”

“Koujaku? What’re you doing?” I ask while walking down the stairs and sit on the step just above Koujaku. “I actually felt like taking a walk, but I’d probably get lost around here. So I’m just sitting here to pass time.” He explains and I feel a mutual understanding under his words, “Thinking of things?”

“Pretty much.” He nods then glances back to me, “What about you? Couldn’t fall asleep?”

“…Yeah. A lot of things happened.” I rest my chin on my knees after bringing them to my chest. Koujaku sighs after a moment, “Anyway, you’re insane.” I sputter a bit looking at him for explanation to such a claim which he gives, “Getting Ruff Rabbit to come out, a weird gas mask guy got attached to you, and to get the main man from Scratch to come out too.”

“…Sorry.” I huff slightly and I hear Koujaku stutter slightly, “Ah, no, my bad. That’s not what I mean. I’m not trying to criticize you, just… You make people worry about you.”

With a sigh I bury my face further into my knees, “That’s true. I guess I do that a lot…”

In the darkness I can see Koujaku’s arms flail out, “Wait, no. I don’t mean… How do I put it… You… I’ve always been taking care of you. Ever since we were little. So when I look at you, I think that just being able to talk about stupid little things is fun enough. That was a pretty long time ago, huh? But it’s not like I’m complaining. It really wasn’t bad. You can tell without me saying it, right? That’s why I guess I keep talking my mouth off.”

I raise a brow slightly. Since when has Koujaku stumbled so much with his own words? But then the inu coughs like to clear his throat. “Don’t beat yourself up over what happened to Mizuki. If you feel like it happened because of irresponsibility, you can put it all on me.”

That doesn’t make any sense but I lightly laugh anyway. Koujaku would always encourage me. Happy that he feels that way, I shyly thank him. Koujaku glances at me and looks like he wants to say something, but he just silently fondles his bangs with his hand. “Your power… Scrap, right? That too. If you think it’s too dangerous or scary, I still don’t.” I look at him with a start but he doesn’t acknowledge it, “I was pretty surprised to find out that you did Rhyme, though.”

To that I look away again. “I really did forget. I wasn’t trying to hide it.”

“I know. I’ve been with you so long that I can tell when you lie. But I don’t think of it as a bad thing. You’ve never blamed me for anything, and you’re the person who’s suffering the most now. We’re going to do whatever we can. That’s it.” He nods his head firmly and I thank Koujaku again for his serious talk. Koujaku exhales and gives me a small smile. “We’re going to be infiltrating Platinum Jail now, you know? No doubt something weird’ll happen, and I don’t even know what to do when it does. Anyway, you should get some sleep too. You need to give your body a rest, okay?”

I nod lightly before nudging him with my foot, “You too. Go get some sleep.” He laughs and pushes my foot away, “Got it. I will, so don’t worry about me.” With that he gets up from the stairs and leaves the house.

I come to a stand as well, intending to return to my room but I see a light in the living room. Is it Granny? I open the door to the room and someone bumps into me.

The person that bumped into me was Noiz.

It looked like he was about to leave the room just as I came in. “Why are you here?” I thought he would have left by now. He raises a brow at my question, “Is there a problem? You’re the one who bumped into me.” His rudeness ticks me off. “…My bad then.”

I turn around and he suddenly pulls me by the arm. “Did you use your power on me too?” I whip around at his question with my mind blanking for a second. “You remembered being in Rhyme, didn’t you? Fight me again. You can even do it here, I don’t care.”

Seriously this guy…

“Don’t joke around like that. This is my house.”

“Doesn’t matter, it’s Rhyme.”

“….Cut it out already.” I shake off Noiz’s hand and glare at him. This guy thinks about nothing except Rhyme. He just doesn’t care about anything else. That pisses me off.

The neko tilts his head, “Can’t you use that Scrap of yours however you want now?”

“Of course I can’t!” I hiss through my teeth but he doesn’t make any reaction to my anger and looks off in thought, “You can peep into people’s hearts and crush them to bits. You haven’t used it in Rhyme at all?”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember anything about that.”

Noiz instantly frowns at me, “Liar. Then what was that when you fought me?”

“I’m telling you I don’t remember!” The fact Grams was nowhere in sight was telling me she was probably trying to sleep, which was the only thing keeping me from raising my voice too much but I was getting more and more frustrated. Noiz shuts up too, and looks into my eyes as if he’s trying to make sure I was telling the truth. He stares at me without blinking once.

I feel an overpowering suspicion, avert my eyes away, and open my mouth again slowly. “Anyway, I really don’t remember. Even if I used it when we were fighting, I don’t know how to use it now. I’m not lying. If you’re fine with that, let’s fight then. But, isn’t that what you want to see?”

He doesn’t answer other than the narrowing in his eyes.

“If there comes a time where I want to fight you, I’ll definitely be your opponent. I promise.” I tell him and his eyes narrow to near slits. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Of course I am.”

Noiz closes his eyes and lets out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll believe you this time. But that time will come. When it does, don’t you dare run away.” To make sure I get the message, Noiz stares into my eyes again before he slips past me to go out into the hallway. “Where’re you going?” I call after him and he answers over his shoulder. “On a walk.” With that simple reply he leaves through the entryway. I follow his figure with my eyes, and sigh.

The truth is… Even if I could control that power at will, I would never want to. This dreadful power ruined Mizuki. All I can think about is how I can never ask for his forgiveness now.

….Fuck, what good mood Koujaku and Ren left with me didn’t stick.

With another sigh I feel like a stroll outside sounds like a good idea right now because there was no way I was getting any sleep like this. I walk in the entryway and put on my shoes, open the door, and leave.

I walk down the street and notice a person leaning on the fence nearby. I hear the sound of flapping wings before a giant bird lands on the figure’s shoulder.

Isn’t that Mink over there?

I take a better look and see smoky white fumes dissolve into the air.

…To be honest, after dealing with Noiz, Mink is the last guy I want to see right now. I reflexively turn back to my house, but I stop. If I go back now, it’ll be like I flat out ignored his being there, which is kind of rude, I guess…

I turn on heel and walk up to him. “…What are you doing here?”

“Nothing.”

I know that… I quickly feel at lost how to keep this conversation going. Or if I should even bother. I think I should just go back home already.

But I can’t just walk away, can I…

I need something to talk about…

Not that this guy’s personality was easy to strike up random subjects with. My thoughts start to wander off. Well, Granny was saved because of Mink’s help.

I should at least thank him for that. No matter what he’s like, the fact that he saved her will never change.

I speak to Mink, but he doesn’t even look my way.

…Whatever. I’m used to this by now.

“Uh… Thanks for helping me save Grams. It would’ve been impossible without you. And you even stayed afterwards.”

Mink takes a sidelong glance at me. “I didn’t do this for free.” Mink’s eyes went back to staring at the sky, and he puts his pipe to his mouth. I lean against the fence, only a little closer to the okami. “It’s just like you said before. My voice can affect people.” I glance his way even though he’s not looking, “How did you know anyway?”

Mink continues to stare into the empty space of the sky. “…You don’t remember it, but I realized when I heard your voice the first time.”

What?

I’d never forget this giant of a guy… But it’s like he said, I can’t recall a thing about him.

“I started looking for you then to make sure of what your voice was.”

“So that’s why I was your target from the start…” I don’t understand his interest with this power no more than Noiz’s interest in it. It’s a terrible power. Just like a lethal weapon, it could go rampant and I could hurt someone again.

“It’s something useful.” Mink speaks and my attention rises back to him, “But if you don’t use it then it’s a waste. It’s up to you how you choose to use it.”

I shake my head, “I don’t think I even need this power. I don’t ever want to use it again.”

“Then that’s fine. It’s your choice. But…” Minks rises up and roughly grabs hold of my shirt to bring my eyes to his. “You’re going to use that power on whoever I want you to whether you like it or not. Other than that, it’s up to you.” That stare always sends shivers down my spine yet I feel a harder tremor this time.

“What do you want out of it?” I mumble out.

“There’s no reason to tell you now.” Mink lets go and starts walking back towards the house. While watching him, I start to get caught up in my own thoughts again. I suppose I do have a favor to return after all but… “I don’t understand him at all.” Muttering under my breath, I cut my stroll short and head back to the house.

I go upstairs to the second floor, go back to my room, and look through the curtains of the closed window. Maybe just sitting out on the veranda will be better…

I go to open the curtains but suddenly stop. I hear something.

…A song?

I peek out onto the veranda but no one’s there. Was it my imagination?

“Master.”

“Whoa!!” I barely hear a voice from above before something leaps onto the veranda. “…Clear?!”

“Yes. It’s me.” He wags his tail while I glance at where he came from. “You surprised me… Were you on the roof?”

“Yes. I was singing.”

I stare at him for a moment. “Wait, so that was you?”

Clear nods and whatever expression he’s making is hidden by that mask of his but his tone of voice and the wag in his tail tells me he must be smiling, “Yes. It was the Jellyfish song.”

“Jellyfish song?”

“Yes. Grandpa, the one I used to live with, talked about jellyfish often, so I made a song. Jellyfish are really like water. But they’re still such wonderful and interesting living creatures all the same. I wonder if jellyfish can sleep and dream like others…”

I tilt my head a little but I’m so tired that I can barely gather my thoughts together to put real thought in it, “I guess…” Clear is almost speaking in riddles and it confuses me. I don’t think he’s kidding around though…

Clear stands next to me and takes something out of his pocket.

…That umbrella again. “Why do you keep that around?”

Clear turns his head toward me while opening up the umbrella and resting it against his shoulder, “Is it wrong to have it?”

“No, it’s fine… but why?” As I ask, Clear looks to the sky. “The stars look like they’re about to fall.”

Well even if he says that, I look up to the sky and I can’t see stars at all.

“By the way, Master.”

“Hold up.” I look to him with a serious stare, “You need to stop calling me that.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s kind of creepy… Just Aoba is fine.”

Clear shakes his head and resumes staring at the sky. “No, Master is Master. So I think I will call you Master.”

Well if I can’t stop him, I shouldn’t really try…

“Master is Master, but Clear is the name Grandpa gave to me.”

“The guy you were talking about?” I ask while leaning against the railing of the veranda. “Yes. However, he’s sleeping now.”

It takes me a moment to catch the meaning behind that and I glance at Clear with a sense of pity for his loss. But he keeps his gaze on the sky, talking energetically, “A long time ago, Grandpa and I lived near the garbage dump in the Northern District.”

“Garbage… A trash treatment center, huh? So you really are familiar with that area?” That explains it. He mentioned he use to take walks in the area so if he once lived there then…

“Yes. And, Master. I said it earlier but… It’s about earlier, when we went to save Mizuki-san. You were so cool back then, Master. I got excited just from watching you.”

I tilt my head utterly confused just how he could find me cool when all I did is fall unconscious and…

“You were as cool as you were when I took you back to the shop, my very own, very cool Master. Now, you’re…” Clear takes a glance at me. “You’re cool right now too, Master!”

He obviously had to backtrack there…

Flattering as it is, what Clear said puzzles me. He keeps mentioning a difference in me when he hears my voice… Does he mean about Scrap then?

“I’ll be here with you from now on, Master. I’ll protect you. So Master, please take care of me from now on too.” Clear closes his umbrella and gives a polite bow. “…So you’re really going to keep calling me Master?” I mutter with a bitter smile and nod. He’s weird alright but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.

“Master, please go to bed soon. It’ll be tomorrow before you know it.”

I don’t need the reminder, I actually feel more willing to collapse in bed now, “You’re right. What about you?”

“If you’ll pardon me, I think I’ll go sing on the rooftop for a little while longer.”

Well alright then. “Be careful of the tiles.” I yawn. Clear bows to me once again and I go back into my room, closing the curtains to the veranda. I lie down on my bed, and hear a faint sound of a song from outside.

It’s a gentle, soft voice, and it sounds like a lullaby.

It’s awfully relaxing…

My bad mood gradually turns into a feeling of relaxation, and I silently close my eyes.


	11. Platinum Jail

The sun peeks through the curtains while I’m still lying in bed, drowsy. As I’m about to doze off again, my Coil suddenly rings. “Yeah?” I answer tiredly without even looking at the caller. “Aoba-san? Were you sleeping?”

This voice…

Is uh…

I squint one eye open to look at the name on the Coil screen. “…Huh? Virus? Hey, what’s up?”

“It’s a disaster. Keep calm and listen to me. The police are heading to your house right now.”

…What? The police?

Now wide awake, I bring my Coil closer to my face. “Why?”

“I don’t know. But a lot of them are on their way.” Virus answers and I sit up in bed. “Are you serious…?” I ask, feeling my head pound as hard as my heart while trying to gather my thoughts together. “Please run away and hide somewhere. The police came here too, so things are a bit noisy. If I hear anything, I’ll contact you again. Aoba-san, please be careful.” With that the call ends.

What’s going on?

At that moment, I look up and the light in my room becomes brighter. I get off my bed, walk up to the window, and open the curtains a bit. Light blasts into my eyes, making it hard to keep them open as I look out the window, frowning.

The early morning mist still covers the scenery, and there in a line in front of my house are police huddled together. “Come out this instant! We know you’re in there you damn terrorist!!”

Akushima?!

“Aahhh! This is what you’re charged with! Trespassing, damage to property and everything else you can think of that goes with those!! Come out! Seragaki Aoba, and your little gang too!” barks Akushima, calling out my full name at that.

How did I get labeled as a terrorist?!

I rush getting my jacket on, start up Ren before placing him in my bag, and quickly go downstairs. I snatch up my shoes, jerking them on as I hop into the living room where Granny, Koujaku, Noiz, Clear, and Mink all are.

I don’t know when Koujaku came back but there isn’t much time to really debate over it as I turn to Granny. “Grams! There are a bunch of policemen outside!”

“This has definitely taken a turn for the worst… It is most likely Toue. Yesterday, Morphine must’ve reported that you used Scrap, so now he’s showing interest.” Granny says while glancing toward the entrance and then Akushima started bellowing again, “Hurry up and come ooooooooouuut!! If you don’t, we’ll come in! Okay! Get ready for entryyyyy!!”

Granny turned back to us instantly, “All of you, escape through the back door!”

I take a step back with Clear already tugging on my arm but… I can’t seriously just leave Grams here with… “CHAAAARRRRRGGEEEEE!!!” Bellows Akushima and Koujaku joins Clear in tugging me along, “Aoba, they’re coming!”

I look back at Grams, “…Thank you, Granny!” And I follow the others out the back kitchen door. As if they’d taken our places, I hear the noise of policemen crowding into the house. Deep regret and anxiety fills my chest. Granny… I’m sorry! Please be safe!!

We follow a narrow road that runs between two walls. Passing through it, it becomes a bit wider as we hit a different back lane. “There are police over there! I can hear their footsteps!” Just as Clear yells out, I hear policemen in front of us. “It’s them! They’re over here!” Yells an officer that spotted us.

If the catch us here, we’ll be rounded up like cattle!

“Don’t huddle together! Separate!” Mink’s order urges us, and we start running in different directions.

“Shit…!” I put all of my body and mind into running through an alleyway as fast as I can. “Aoba!” Koujaku, having run in the same direction as me apparently, dashes up to my side. “Keep running!” He yelled and without the chance to even wonder where we were headed, we ran through alleyways left and right. After a little while, I notice the sound of footsteps following right behind us.

The cops…?!

I look to Koujaku about to tell him we should run faster when…

“Master!!”

When I look back, I see Clear running up behind us. “Please don’t leave me behind!!” He cries. Koujaku seems rather exasperated and I can’t tell if it’s from running or Clear’s presence. But I slow down a little for Clear to catch up. “Master, the police are still following us! We need to run farther away!”

“Got it!” I let Clear take the lead and we all dash through the alleyway.

How far did we even run…?

Finally coming to a stop, we check our surroundings and I lean against a wall taking rough, heavy breaths. I don’t hear anyone chasing after us.

Did we shake them off…?

I have a feeling we lost Noiz and Mink too, considering that they didn’t come after us like Clear had. “Ha, whew, it should be fine… The police aren’t chasing us anymore.” Huffs Clear from a slouched over position. Koujaku is lean up against the wall too.

“How do… you know… they’re not after us?” I ask Clear between breaths. Clear points to his ears, “If they were, I would have heard their footsteps. Because I have not heard any, I can assume they aren’t chasing after us anymore.”

“Sure, gas mask guy.” Koujaku snorts while pushing off the wall. I’m a bit skeptical myself but I don’t hear…

As Clear and Koujaku start arguing I hear something. I look and see a man walking in front of me. He’s grunting and making odd noises, probably completely wasted. “Is he drunk?”

“What’s that Aoba?” Koujaku calls over but before I can answer I felt my chest sink right at that moment and I hear Ren call me.

This feeling…

Rhyme?!

“What the hell?!” I snap while taking in the change of scenery. It was twisted with objects floating about or stuck upside down on the ceiling. A sickly green color stained up the whole area. “Aoba, watch out.” Ren warns and I face my opponent.

Wait… The drunk?

He doesn’t say anything, yet the next thing I know, a wall of icicles comes surging our way. “Whoa! Ren, ah, defense!!” Ren does so and after a successful block I have him attack, taking a good chunk out of our opponent. “Wasn’t that a little too easy?” I ask Ren but he has his eyes locked ahead. “Aoba, instructions.”

“Next…” I scramble my mind for what to do when I notice Ren suddenly stumble and before I could check on him, another wall of ice surges between us, knocking Ren away some feet. “Ren!” I yell and hold my gut from the stabbing pain. Ren gets back up slowly, “…I’m fine.”

That’s not good enough.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying enough attention. Let’s finish it in one blow and get out of here!”

“Understood.” Ren’s arm at that moment distorts with electricity sparking forth and he strikes at the drunk man…

 

I return to reality, free from Rhyme and the first thing I see is Koujaku and Clear standing over me, calling me as I’m laying on a heap of trash. “Shit… What the hell…” I groan and take Koujaku’s offered hand to stand up. “I was going to ask you that. You just passed out like that…”

“Master! Thank goodness you’re okay!” Clear shoves past Koujaku in a rush to embrace me and I’m reminded of the pain in my gut as I try to pry him off. “Oy! Get off you!” Koujaku yells while hauling Clear off me who looks between us in a flustered manner before apologizing. His antics get a light smile out of me but there’s no doubt of what happened. That was another Drive-By. Why do I keep getting pulled into this shit…?

To top it off, a sharp headache hits me. The pain stabs at me just as needles would, but it quickly fades away. Then I notice Ren at my feet. “Hey, Ren. Are you okay?” As I move to pick him up, Ren opens his eyes a little bit. “Are you alright? You took some damage back there…”

“Damage?” Koujaku frowns. “You telling me you were pulled into another Drive-By?”

Ren silently stares at me. “…I feel a little off, but there doesn’t seem to be any significant problem.” I let out a breath and pet his head, “We should make sure later, just in case.” I put Ren into my bag, uneasy, and suddenly my Coil rings. “It’s a game application.” Informs Ren.

“Again?! Does it have to be right now…?!”

“A game?” Clear leans in, tilting his head toward my Coil. Koujaku takes out his Coil as well. “…Hm? I got sent something too.”

“Isn’t it the same as Aoba’s? A game application.” Pipes in Beni from Koujaku’s kimono. “It appears to be an automatic recovery type.” Ren adds. “Are you serious…?!” I snap as the game starts to play out on mine and Koujaku’s Coil monitors.

It’s the blue knight again and like before it moves on its own through corridors until reaching a chest. Upon opening the chest and receiving a key, another download app appears automatically while the knight still treks through more corridors to a large room. There the knight stops before a ball of light that envelops the whole screen and an invitation pops in view.

“What the heck? This game makes no sense.” Koujaku frowns as I notice he too has an invitation. An invitation to Platinum Jail…? “Is this your first time getting that game?” I ask him and he nods, “Yeah. I’ve never seen it before.”

“Huhhhhh?! Why didn’t I get one?” Clear puffs while bringing my arm closer to him. Well I guess it is strange but… “Remember what I mentioned yesterday, when we went up to Keisen? I got some demo-game movie sent to me.”

“So this is what you were talking about?” Koujaku asks and looks again at his own invitation. I don’t know why Clear wasn’t sent anything but the invitation mentions we can bring guests so… I guess it’s fine. Yet it’s obvious that we’ve been pulled into something. Possibly a trap.

A cave, a treasure chest, a key, and a large door…

The last time this game got sent to me, it predicted Gram’s kidnapping. So what the hell was it trying to tell me this time?

My Coil started to ring again. This time it’s a message from Haga-san. I open it and there’s an image attached to it. A map of the Old Residential area. A red arrow marks a spot to the left side of Platinum Jail.

_I was supposed to escort you, but there has been a change of plans. Please proceed onto D-86 in the North District. We will meet there._

Grams must have contacted him…

I turn to Koujaku and Clear, “We’re going to meet up with Haga-san. Let’s go.” They both nod and we turn in the direction that will take us to our meeting spot.

***

The marked area was at an entrance to an underground passageway a little off from the Northern District with a broken barricade. And Haga-san was there; ready to hand over a remodeled type of stun gun to us in order to protect ourselves. He told us that this underground passageway used to be how construction materials for Platinum Jail were transported. Originally, Platinum Jail was planned to cover the entire island and the Old Resident District built a passageway to transport materials over.

But the plans were put to a halt and the passageway was abandoned. Mostly everyone has forgotten about it, but it’s still a way into the gates of Platinum Jail.

We made our way through the barricade and went down the rotting staircases. The inside of the tunnel is pitch black, and it seems to go on forever. Going along the long pathway, we come to a staircase and climb it until ending up in a place like nothing we’ve ever seen before.

A giant white gate towers before us.

So this… is the Platinum Jail gate.

…Is it really okay for us to continue on? Maybe this really is a trap. Despite this feeling that I’m sure the others share with me, it didn’t stop our feet from carrying us forward.

The gate opens, and we’re greeted by a showy fanfare and the sound of fire crackers around us. “What the…?” Koujaku reaches for his sword as a panda comes out from the side and greets us. “Welcome to Japan’s greatest, highest class facility of love, dreams, and comfort, Platinum Jail!” I think he’s supposed to be cute with the poses he was doing, but I can’t say he really is anything but weird. Behind the panda is a door. “This is the upper paradise where only the chosen are let in! Please enjoy yourselves as much as you can!”

“Upper… paradise?” I glance at Koujaku, he doesn’t look anymore impressed than I feel. “He’s a little too happy to see us.” Koujaku mumbles. “He does. Seems rather suspicious.” Whispers Clear yet his tone gave me the impression he was quite entertained.

Paying no particular mind to us, the panda dances to the door and stops with another pose. “Be sure to have a great time!” He chimes and Clear claps his hands together, “This is kind of exciting. Let’s go!”

I watch Clear run up ahead before letting out a sigh and following after him with Koujaku mumbling something about the panda behind me until he catches up to my side. “We better stay on guard once we head through that entrance.”

I nod with agreement. There’s no telling what we’ll get hit with once in there after all.

“There’s a confirmation monitor that you must show your ticket or invitation to!” The panda informs us before we can enter the door and I notice the monitor he’s talking about so bring up the invitation on my Coil. “Platinum ID confirmed. Aoba-sama and guest, welcome to Platinum Jail. The admission formalities will now begin. Guest has been granted Guest ID. Guest, please show your Coil to the monitor.”

At first I think it’s talking about Koujaku but remembering that he got an invitation like me, I turn to Clear and gesture him to come over. Clear holds up his Coil to the monitor rather enthusiastic, “Confirmed, Guest ID now being transmitted. All jurisdictions belong to the Platinum ID holder. The Guest ID has restricted uses only, so please practice caution. Please read the detailed support section in the full Invitation Card. Please enjoy.”

After Clear’s taken care of, Koujaku is able to step up and confirm his own invitation and finally we’re able to step through the door.

Beyond it was a wide, white, almost glass-like district. Buildings line the streets with designs nothing like the ones of the Old Resident District. Above are glittering stars no one could dream of seeing in the night sky back home. All of Platinum Jail’s weather is controlled, probably on a setting to keep it mainly night time. I’ve heard that the concept was for it to be relaxing, made so people could party every day.

I focus on the tall building designated to be Platinum Jail’s symbol. “So that’s Oval Tower…” I murmur. I’d heard rumors about it, but this is my first time seeing it in person. “This place is so bright and amazing!” Clear exclaims while looking about restlessly.

“Oy, stay focused. This place has a weird feeling to it. We don’t know which way to go, so let’s just gather information for now.” Says Koujaku and Clear turns back to me, the wag in his tail hardly dying down, “Master, what shall we do first?”

“Ah… Let’s just do what Koujaku said.”

“Is there anything written about this area on that invitation?” Koujaku already starts to bring up his so I do the same to check. A map of Platnium Jail opens on my Coil from the invitation. While Clear takes notice of the other sectors on the map, a mark on the map points to a place not far from where we are. “Koujaku, does yours mark the same spot?” I show him the screen and when he shows me his we compare it.

Looks about the same. “Well then, let’s go see it.”

“Right.” Yet suddenly I hear a sound and shift my head to the sound of weak breathing and see the unusual sight of Ren panting with his tongue hanging out. “Ren? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I used up a little too much energy, but it’s not a problem of too much importance.”

“But you look awful. I need to examine you somewhere…” The urge to reach our lodging becomes a lot more urgent to me so I can check on Ren and just when I was going to ask him to navigate, a feminine voice reaches us. I turn and see two girls standing there.

They’re dressed flashily but their posture and expressions give them a sort of elegance. “Those are some wonderful clothes you’re wearing.” One of the girls with a spider tattoo on her face murmurs while pointing to Koujaku.

Seriously? Even here?

She couldn’t possibly be anyone Koujaku knew back home if she was here yet Koujaku accepts her compliment anyway, even introducing Beni when the girl refers to him. “Were you guys always around this area?” The tattoo girl’s companion asks and shifts her gaze to me and Clear but quickly looks back at Koujaku. “Nope! We just arrived!” Clear answered, prompting me to look back at him with a look.

Don’t get involved when it comes to women and Koujaku.

Yet the girls laugh charmingly, “You don’t look like lost tourists at all!” claims tattoo girl and Koujaku forces a sweet smile, giving attention to her. “What is it?” she asks while Koujaku tilts his head to the side.

Even I don’t understand what’s up with him, this isn’t his normal routine.

Finally he blinks and that signature smile of his returns, “Oh, sorry about that. I zoned out a bit.”

“Are you interested in me?” Tattoo girl asks, gaining a light huff from her companion. Koujaku is quick to respond glancing at the both of them, “Well, aren’t men always interested in women?” The girls give off a satisfied, extremely high pitched laugh.

“Koujaku-san is quite good.” Clear murmurs with a tilt of his head and I unconsciously lift my hand slightly to shush him.

“We were just going to a party. Nothing formal, just a place to have some fun. You could join us if you want.”

Koujaku goes silent at their invitation. I figure he’s going to refuse them so we can finally get going but instead he isn’t giving an answer right away.

…He can’t possibly be thinking of saying yes, right?

It’s a bad idea, no matter how much you like girls…

“This is paradise, and we’re here to guide you, you know? It’s just like home here. So don’t be so uptight, just take it easy!” The other girl practically mewls with a feline grin. “…You’re right. If you insist, I’d love to have your company.”

What did he just say…?!

I’m taken aback by his answer.

“Hey, Koujaku…!” I raise my voice, and Koujaku leans close into my ear. “This is so I can get some information. Work with me here.”

“Not like this…” I whisper back anxiously. Koujaku simply smiles at me, “Don’t worry about it. We always have our Coils to contact one another and you got gas mask.” Even as he says that he gives a glance at Clear like he’s reconsidering it, and I almost wish he really would but instead he fiddles with his Coil and mine rings right aftwards.

_Follow the map to our lodgings. Make sure… Clear doesn’t wander off._

I frown at the message and when I look up; Koujaku is putting one arm around each of the two girls, turns his back to me, and walks away. I stand still, ditched. “…What’s wrong with that guy?!”

“Didn’t he say he is getting information?” asks Clear and I might have snapped at him if it wasn’t for the innocence in his tone. He doesn’t know Koujaku like I do. Frankly… I’m not sure if I know Koujaku myself when I never expected him to pull this here of all places.

“I can’t believe he’d go so far. Right Ren?” At that moment I remember Ren’s condition and my anger dissipates for now. I’ll deal with Koujaku later…

“…Ren, can you navigate to the place we’re staying?”

“I can do that much.” Ren responds oddly.

Yes… For now, we should just find a place to settle down so I can check on Ren and we can plan things out properly. “I’m counting on you.”


	12. Glitter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the pause there everyone, life and then thanksgiving came around the corner. Let's get back to business here!

The residential buildings were all in sections and beautiful homes lined up in a row next to one another. It looks like they’re all ranked and our place to stay is a smaller building at the end. Above the door, a plate reads ‘GLITTER’.

The other doors read different words on their plate, so they must all have their own names. There’s a confirmation monitor by the door; I put my Coil up to it and the lock opens. I was a little astonished when I turned the doorknob and went in. The inside is much more retro than I had imagined…

Almost all of it is wooden, a complete gap between here and the white world outside. A short distance away is a staircase that goes up to a second floor, and in the front is a table and a sofa. The entire furniture looks classic.

“This is a high-class guest house.” Murmured Clear. I guess he was as taken in with the place as me. I tour around the bottom floor first. “Master!” I turn around and realize that within a very short amount of time, Clear had sped up the stairs and is now bending over the second floor handrail. “There are rooms on the second floor!” He points behind him. “There are?” I lean up on my toes even though I can’t see. He nods before leaning more heavily against the handrail, “Also, I have something I would like to discuss. Today must’ve been tiring.”

Well I can agree to that.

“Then, it’s time for us to go to bed. Good night.”

“Eh? Wait--!”

Clear quickly makes his way further back in the second floor. What the heck was that about?

I put Clear’s sudden change in attitude out of my mind and go up the stairs. The first thing I see upon reaching the second floor is something that looks like a living room. To the side of it is a small bar counter. Clear had disappeared into the hallway, so he must be in a room somewhere.

I go into one of the rooms. The room is small and minimalistic with a refined feeling but Clear isn’t in here. I leave the room and open the door next to it.

…There he is.

Clear is sprawled across the bed, sleeping. Clothes and gas mask in all.

I can never tell if he’s being serious or if he’s joking. He’s not a bad guy but definitely weird. And that mask, it must be suffocating… It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking with that in the way.

…Well, whatever.

I leave the thought inside with Clear and quietly exit the room. When I go back to the living room and sit on the sofa, Ren pops out of my bag. Remembering I need to check up on him I place him on my lap and open the control panel on my Coil to check for abnormalities. “Let’s see.”

I look for any indications from the numerical data on the control panel screen.

…Hm.

“There don’t seem to be any issues, but do you still feel weird?” I glance down from the monitor to Ren. He doesn’t look back at me, “Yes. I can’t exactly explain it, but I feel uneasy.”

“I wonder where it’s coming from. I guess it’s inside…”

Ren’s breathing is back to normal compared to before. But I can’t let him go just yet. I push through his fluffy fur, searching all over his body. Ren shakes a little like it’s ticklish. “Nothing wrong on the outside. Shit, I need to be more careful and think about how to find Toue. Maybe he’s in that tower.” I mumble and Ren finally looks at me. “Tae said that he’s holding a special commemorative event, so it’s highly likely that Toue is staying in that tower. Also, your speed in giving instructions has improved from before.”

“I guess it’s my past experience in Rhyme. It doesn’t feel real, but… Maybe my intuition came back or something. But still, that field was strange.” Granted the one that Noiz pulled me into was too but that guy’s Drive-By had a disturbing sense of strange.

“…Aoba. Please stop that.”

I glance down to Ren again, stopping my hand in the midst of unconscious petting I’d started in my pondering. “What is it? Is something wrong?”

He licks his nose as if he wants to tell me something. “No, it’s…”

“What’s wrong? Why don’t you just tell me?” As I lean forward to look Ren in the eye he gets up and turns himself so he’s facing away from me. What is with this behavior?

“I don’t understand it too well but… I have this unexplainable, peculiar feeling.”

“I see… I guess I won’t be able to understand unless I go all the way and open you up.” I lean back wishing I could have packed my tools. “Does it feel like it’ll be difficult to get by from day to day?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then I guess we’ll wait and see… If it ever feels like you can’t take it anymore, you better say so right away.”

“Understood.”

I close the control panel, pick up Ren, and look into his eyes. “…I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Ren’s head tilts. I might have found it cute at another time but, “No, well. You’re my important partner. I wasn’t paying enough attention… And it was my responsibility to.”

“It’s not really your fault.” He claims but it hardly lifts my sinking mood. I flash back to what’s happened since leaving the Old Resident District, being reminded of Koujaku’s back to me as he walked away with those girls. He never did reply to the text I sent him on the way here. I lift Ren to place him against my forehead.

…And something pushes on my chin.

It’s Ren’s paws, rejecting me in a gentle push. “No…” He doesn’t lower his paws.

He’s never done anything like this before. I move the oddly acting Ren away from my face, his eyes looking into mine. “Is it because of the damage you received in Rhyme?”

“That may be the reason… I just feel a little off but I’m alright.” Ren gives me a vague response, trying to dodge the question. This is the first time he’s ever tried to avoid talking about anything. “I’m sorry if I’m worrying you. Please don’t think about it too much.”

“I think I’ll look for a parts shop around here. If you can’t function anymore after this, it’ll be bad, won’t it? We have to treat it like a disease. Okay?” I say that in a steadfast tone and ruffle Ren’s fur. “Fluffy puppy!”

“Please don’t play around.” Ren insists and I quit my fooling around with an apology. Even as I pretend to joke around, the shock still didn’t fade. For Ren to push me away like that…

Unable to shake the uneasiness from my heart, I put Ren in my bag and lay down on the sofa and cross my arms. This sofa feels really comfortable. I feel a bit more relaxed now. And…

It must be because I’ve been running all day without a chance to take a real breather. I feel like taking a small nap. I turn my head to the side and look at the TV. I wonder what kind of programs they broadcast in Platinum Jail.

I curiously pick up a card like remote and turn on the TV, shifting the volume down so not to disturb Clear. Flipping through some channels, I realize that the Old Resident District has never seen any of them. Even Platinum Jail’s news is all so foreign.

I stick to the news channel. Soon enough I turn off the TV and throw the remote onto the table, disgusted. As a person from the Old Resident District, all I heard was bullshit. I turn over and face the back of the sofa. Now I’m pissed off on top of sluggish. “…Ren.” I faintly call his name and Ren comes over and cuddles next to me much to my relief.

I hug his soft body. In a single moment, my body becomes relaxed and I close my eyes.

***

Once I wake up, I look at the time on my Coil. It’s almost dawn of the next day and there’s still no response from Koujaku. “Seriously, what is he doing…?” At that moment I happen to notice that I’m no longer lying on a couch however.

…A bed?

When did I get up and move to a bed? Was I half asleep? My head is still hazy from just waking up, and I hear something come from outside the room. A tasty smell reaches my nose and my stomach cries out.

Ren starts up by my feet as I get up from the bed. “Morning, Aoba.”

“Morning, Ren.” He sounds a little more normal now… Maybe that’s a good sign. I hold Ren and as I’m about to leave the room, I stop.

…For some reason, it seems like the room’s sparkling. Like it’s been polished or something. I leave the room and walk down the corridor before noticing something sitting on the living room table. “What’s this…?” An extravagant amount of food sits on the table.

Chicken, soup, and even some cooked fished are spread out over the table. I can’t even imagine what they must all taste like. Then I hear humming from the bar counter. I rush over to the source of the humming, and…

I freeze in place.

“Ah, Master. Good morning!”

What?

What… was standing in front of me right now?

What the hell?

All I could gather was a pink apron, a gas mask, and a pair of gloves dawned upon… A nude Clear…

Clear was standing there practically naked and holding a knife.

“Breakfast preparations are almost done, so please sit down.”

An unintelligible sound leaves my lips as I look this guy over, trying to wrap my head around the fact that Clear was standing there. In nothing but an apron. Why? I could swear his tail was purposely wagging just to give a view of…

“Did you sleep well last night? Wasn’t your room sparkling? I took the time to finish cleaning while you were asleep, Master~” He chimes away, holding that butcher knife while looking over his shoulder.

“…You know,”

“Yes, what is it, Master?”

“Are you… stupid?!!” Still somewhat horrified from the scene, I thoughtlessly give Clear a roundhouse kick to the jaw. He falls to the floor and starts to cry. “S-so… So mean… I was working so hard for you, Master!”

“Your idea of working hard is weird!!” I snap.

“But don’t they say that a man’s romantic fantasy is someone naked in an apron cooking for them? So I thought you’d like it too!” Clear continues to whine. Where did he learn such an absurd thing?! “Go and change out of that apron!”

“Unngh, yes.” Clear gets up, still crying, and leaves the counter with tail tucked. His ass is still showing and he looks a bit pathetic sulking down the hallway.

It’s way too early in the morning for this sort of thing…

“Surely that was an example of ‘Don’t cover your head and leave your bottom bare’.” Ren commented and I laughed lightly with a nod until at that moment the entryway to Glitter opened.

I rush to the stair railing, look down, and see Koujaku walking in. Upon noticing me he puts on a tired, awkward smile. “Were you asleep? Sorry for waking you up.”

His expression from before didn’t go unnoticed. When he came through the doorway, he had a pale, exhausted look on his face. It was weird for Koujaku; I had never seen him like that before.

What happened?

I was about to beat on him for coming so late… But I couldn’t bring myself to say something.

“Sorry for being so late.” He starts to make his way toward the stairs but pauses. When we meet eyes again, I realize I haven’t really responded this whole time to him as he calls my name. “Oh… Uh. You were out for a while. What were you up to?”

“Some stuff.” He answers and resumes climbing up the stairs without further explanation. Really?

“What’s with the food?”

I blink and turn around to the servings on the table still. Oh yeah…

“Don’t ask…” Yeah, way too early in the morning for this.

Koujaku raises a brow but then seems to turn on heel and head into the corridor toward a room.

“Hey, wait…”

Koujaku stops and turns around to face me.

“Did you find anything? Isn’t that why you went out in the first place?” He’s got to tell me something at least. But instead I got…

“…Yeah. I didn’t get anything at all. A failed mission, sorry.”

…What the hell is this? Of course he wouldn’t come back with anything. I give him a small glare. “Koujaku, hear me out for a minute.”

“…Sure.”

I stare at him a moment longer to make sure he isn’t going anywhere before I begin to speak, “I don’t really care if you were playing around with girls or whatever. But you should know better than to do that here of all places.” I speak with a serious, questioning tone, and Koujaku lowers his eyes apologetically. “You’re right; it’s a bad habit of mine. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Well… whatever, it’s fine.” I sigh and a deadly silence drowns out the room. I don’t know what else I should do and I force myself to bring up a different topic. “Have you eaten yet?” No point wasting all that food on the table after all.

“Yeah, I have.” Koujaku answered. A part of me deflated. “By the way, this building…” Koujaku looks around the room. “It’s pretty amazing. The inside and outside look completely different.”

“Yeah, I was surprised when I first saw it too.”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

Koujaku and I jump at Clear’s sudden inquire. When did he get back? “With Koujaku-san back, we can now all eat!” Clear clapped his hands together but Koujaku waved a hand. “Actually, I think that’s my cue to get some shut-eye.” As if trying to escape, Koujaku hurries past us, down the hall. But he suddenly stops and turns his head to me. “Well, goodnight.” And he disappears into a room.

I stare at the door he went in without a single word coming to mind.

What was he doing this whole time?

I’d be furious over him lying to me face, but…

“Is Koujaku-san alright?” asks Clear. I’m not sure how to answer, considering that I have a weird feeling about what might have happened to Koujaku while he was gone. He sounded all over the place when he was speaking, and distant.

…Well, whatever it is, he got what he deserved.

What he does with girls doesn’t have to do with me anyway.

Glancing back to the table, all that food looks good. But Clear was the one that made it. I don’t know how it tastes just by starting at it either, so all of this might taste awful…

…I’m hungry.

I sit down and timidly reach for a fork, stabbing something that looks like chicken, and prepare myself. I bring it up to my mouth. “…Tasty.”

“Isn’t it?” Clear’s suddenly in front of me and I throw myself back. “Don’t scare me like that!” He was just standing by the hall…

“I’m sorry. But I did change clothes!” The mention makes me realize that he indeed was dressed now. Thank goodness. I look at the food again, “Did you make all of this?”

Clear nods and steps closer, “Is it good? It’s delicious, right? You did say that just now.”

“Well… Yeah. It’s good.”

“Oh, that’s great!” He throws his arms up but I quickly shush him, remembering that Koujaku’s trying to sleep. “My efforts paid off for you, Master.” Clear whispers happily while clapping his hands together in high spirits.

“Did you take lessons on cleaning or cooking?”

“Half of it was self taught. Some of it was because I took care of Grandpa.”

Well that makes sense, “I see. But how did you get all these ingredients?”

“I got them from somewhere like a supermarket.” At Clear’s answer, I instantly feel concerned. “You ‘got’ them?” I ask hesitantly.

“Yes. Everyone here gives things to others freely.”

“Huh… Of course the enlightened people under Toue would do something like that.” I snort. As I speak though, I give into my hunger and start eating things one by one off the table.

“That corn soup over there is something I’m very confident in. It’s full of creamed corn.”

“…Mhm. It’s great.”

With his tail almost a blur of silver, Clear pushes another plate of food toward me, “And I also thought I made this omelet well. How is it?”

I try it out, “…Delicious.”

“That’s wonderful~!”

…What are we doing?!

“Wait! We don’t have the time to enjoy elegant breakfasts like this!!” I slam my hands on the table, jumping to a stand.

“W-wah! Watch out, Master!” Clear cries out while gripping the wobbling table to steady it. Worried at the noise I just caused I glance down the hall to the door of Koujaku’s room. It didn’t open.

“Ah, my bad.” I sigh quietly. It would have been bad to ruin all of this delicious food if I had flipped the table over…

“By the way, Master. I’m changing the topic, but do we have our sights on Oval Tower?”

“I haven’t decided yet, but I think it’d be best to gather information on it to make sure.”

“Then why don’t we head over to the tower later? Information gathering is important.”

I nod and pluck a strawberry off some pancakes. I’d planned to go there from the start anyway. “Alright, let’s go out to make preparations.”

“Yes. I’ll tidy up.”

“No. I ate so I’ll help out.”

“Really? Thank you so much. D-e-a-r!” My brow twitches as I smack the back of Clear’s head. “Ow! Y-you’re awful, Master!” He whines.

…Continuing on like some slapstick comedy, we finish cleaning up breakfast. I glance one last time at Koujaku’s door but decide not to disturb him. No point giving him the excuse to fool around again…

And while we’re out, I could possibly look for a parts store for Ren’s sake.


	13. Fractures

I check outside and see people walking up and down the streets with smiles on their faces. The sight of it was eerie, in a way. I guess the management of the streets is well run. We only came here yesterday evening too, so it feels strange to see it still dark outside. The thought of dawn never coming is a little scary.

The guests here must not mind it much.

Without being able to wipe the worry away, I open the map attachment and head toward the shopping mall with Clear.

We come considerably close to Oval Tower, and then Clear pulls on my jacket. “Master. I have something I’d like to say.”

“What is it?”

Clear leans in toward me, “The truth is--” He speaks in an exaggerated whisper; “I think I have an idea of who knows how to get into the tower.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And they’re close to us right now.”

I glance around and then back to Clear, “How do you know? And where could…” He puts his glove covered finger to my lips. “They’re behind us right now. I can tell. I could never mistake them.”

“Are you serious?” I mumble against his finger and he nods. “Yes. I believe I heard them.” As he says that, Clear turns his head around rapidly. And behind us is…

“Mr. Policemaaaaaaaa— Brghgahhaghm!” I pull on Clear’s gasmask from behind, and pull it down hard. “You idiot!!”

Before we make a bigger scene I drag him into a store nearby. There I let go and he whips around, “You’re so mean, Master! Why did you stop me?!”

I quickly press my hand over the mouth piece on his mask and hiss quietly, “What do you think you’re doing?! That was a fucking cop!”

Clear tilts his head to the side in a puzzled manner. “I was always told that if something came up that you should ask a police officer! I thought you really wanted to know about the tower?”

“You— Do you know what you’re even doing?! We’re from the Old Resident District, it’s dangerous! We have to keep a low profile, or else! Don’t ever do that again!”

It’s not as though I had a solid plan coming here. But we certainly weren’t off to a good start so far. I turn slightly and notice in the display window is neatly groomed dog-type Allmates.

Hey…

I take in the rest of the shop with a realization that I could find some parts here for Ren. It’s really a high-class type of shop but maybe there’s something I can use. The inside is wide and clear with not a single piece of trash on the floor. Allmates are lined up along the wall in glass cases, and quiet music is played throughout the store.

Next to the Allmates are toys, accessories, and even clothes.

“Amazing…”

“Stay here.” I state to Clear sternly and enter deeper into the shop. “Hey, Ren. Look at that.” Ren sticks his head out of my bag. “Don’t you think these Allmates are pretty and punctual compared to the ones back in the Old Resident District?” I muse to him.

“Surely, I can’t deny that.” He answers.

There are customers here, all carefree, looking into cases with nothing but pictures inside.

As I look around the shop, I go to a section that has both custom parts and ones for maintenance. At just a glance, it doesn’t seem like there are that many different parts here. It looks like there are only control panels and services for the new Allmate types, and I probably can’t request anything. “Hmm. None of this will work.”

I think of asking an employee anyway, but it’s difficult to think of something that won’t cause too much attention. I look around the store interior thinking of what to do, and a digital poster catches my eye.

Platinum Jail Special Commemoration Event: Opening Soon!

The date for it scrolled down in a large font. It’s another two days until it opens. There aren’t any specifics on the poster. I go and ask a customer next to me, “Uh, excuse me.”

“Yes?” She turns to me.

“About that Platinum Jail Special Commemoration Event,” What a mouth full… “Do you know what’s going on there?”

“They haven’t said yet. But it looks like that day’s going to be a fun one. It’s bound to be an absolutely fabulous event, you know? The usual parades are really like a dream!”

The more she goes on, the more I wonder what I just triggered here. I take a step back but she keeps going, “I wonder if Toue-san is going to show up? If he does, it’ll be absolutely fantastic! He can do anything and everything flawlessly. He’s sooo amazing!”

“…I see. Thank you.” I slightly bow my head and move away. So not even the guests know what’s going on at that event. And they don’t care. She mentioned that Toue may show up but even if he does, there’s no way I could get close to him.

I have no way of coming into contact.

If I just find a clue, then I… “Ren, let’s check out that special event tomorrow.” I talk to Ren, but he doesn’t reply. “Ren?” When I look into my bag, I see Ren staring at an Allmate sitting in a glass case. “What’s wrong?”

All of the Allmate’s specifications are on a monitor seemingly very impressive. “Wow… That’s something.” I never had a deep interest in Allmates. But when I see the latest models, I couldn’t help but be astounded. The default settings alone outmatch anything I’ve dealt with, made for diverse tasks, like basic ones and Rhyme of course. Things analog maintenance isn’t necessary for this one. “Hah… They’ve gone far.”

“Are you interested in it?” Ren suddenly speaks and I look at him with a light smile, “Aren’t you the one interested? You’ve been staring at it.” I glance back at the display, “Well, it is pretty impressive. It looks really useful for anything I could ever think of doing.”

“…Do you want to use it?”

Ren’s odd question causes me to glance at him as his eyes continue to focus on the case. “Why would I do that? I have you.”

“Isn’t that only because you’ve never had the experience of a more efficient, newer model?” Ren questions with a strange tone I never heard in him before. He was acting up again… “What’re you talking about?” I ask, trying to understand what he’s getting at. But he doesn’t answer.

Instead, Ren squirms out of my bag and dashes away.

“Hey!”

Not listening to anything I say, Ren keeps running toward the door of the shop. “Clear!” I cry out and Clear turns from whatever he was looking at, noticing Ren running toward him. He reaches out but just misses the bundle of fur as Ren dashes past. “Ah! Ren-san!” Clear took off after him.

I followed them out, ignoring the garnered attention of employees and customers around while I called after Clear and Ren.

Ren was small and somehow even Clear was starting to blend into the mass of the crowd. I saw a touch of white and yellow down a side street though and followed it. “Ren! Clear!” I cry out, panicked.

I don’t see them anywhere!

Why did Ren go and… And now I’ve lost Clear too! Did I make Ren angry somehow?

…No, that can’t be it.

It is possible for some Allmates to adopt human emotions, but this was against his set behavioral pattern. Like how Beni has a short-tempered personality in him, Ren was set to a patient type. I’ve never seen an Allmate become so emotional. But Ren was clearly offended back at the shop.

What did that Drive-By do to him?!

I turned every corner, my thoughts racing. The atmosphere is a little different in this alley. The area is dim and filled with trash. It’s a lonely place, as if completely forgotten by the guests walking down Main Street.

So Platinum Jail has areas like this too…

The odd display left me staring, but then a sound came from a heap of trash. “Ren? …Clear?” I squint into the dark and see… A person?

A person in this kind of place…

No way… They aren’t dead, are they?

I get a little closer.

…Maybe a doll?

The person’s limbs are so thin and white, so I don’t know…

“Um… Are you okay?” When I speak out, the person slowly raises their head. Rabbit ears stick out of the person’s studded hat, drooping. As our eyes met up, it felt like a bolt of electricity surged through my head.

What was that all about?

They’re looking at me.

…Are they, actually?

Their gaze isn’t focusing, just staring off into space. There’s something… but I can’t remember what. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before. Not when I look at their face… but more like their eyes.

It’s a strange sensation.

I wonder if we’ve passed by each other once. No, that can’t be it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them or met them…

But something…

More like…

A current like thunder ran through me, and I jumped back a step.

…What just happened?

I spaced out for a second before that impact and then…

That person that was just here is now gone.

Did they just disappear?

There’s no way.


	14. Drug Lights

I return to Glitter feeling a dull pain in my head. I should take my medicine.

I hadn’t found Clear or Ren on the way back so I could only hope they both returned here too. I open the door, step in, and almost fell backward to the sight of a large figure on the couch.

Who in…?!

Focusing better on the person, I suddenly realize who it is.

Mink?!

The okamimimi was sprawled across the sofa with both arms crossed. Is he asleep?

People usually look relaxed and peaceful though, right? That was the total opposite looking at Mink now. I wasn’t sure to move. Like one step would set him off somehow. But ever so slowly I pass by, moving behind the couch, toward the stairs and then…

“Masterrrrr!”

I freeze in place, my heart seeming to stop as well.

“You’re back safe!” Calls Clear from the second floor and in the corner of my eye I can see Mink sitting up. “You’re no good at sneaking.” He comments while standing and then walks pass me, up the stairs.

…The hell?

“H-hey!” I scramble up the stairs but Mink already entered a room, shutting the door behind him. I turn to Clear, “When did he get here?!” And furthermore as I notice, “Where’s Ren?!”

“They found us.” Clear answers cheerfully.

I balk. What’s that suppose to mean?!

“Ren-san stopped running but we lost Master. And then the pretty bird found us with Mink-san and Noiz-san!”

Noiz?!

He’s here too?! How? Why?

The questions kept mounting and my head pounded all the worse.

“Master?”

“Where’s Noiz?”

Clear quickly turns aside and points at the couch and I see the neko sitting with his back to us. He wasn’t looking this way at all and it actually appeared as if he was looking down at something else. I approach the sofa and slowly peek around and… what I see leaves me speechless.

Noiz has Ren laying upside down in his lap while he holds a tool over him. “What are you doing?!” I yell without thinking and Noiz slowly turns around to face me. “Oh, so you were here.”

“Don’t give me that! Let Ren go! Hand him over!” I lean over the backrest of the sofa and snatch up the blue lump from Noiz’s lap. Worried, I immediately try to start up Ren. It takes a bit longer than usual, but Ren finally opens his eyes. “Aoba.”

“Are you okay? Do you feel strange anywhere?” I think back to how he was acting before. The last thing I need is for him to get any worse because of whatever Noiz was doing!

“No problems.”

The answer almost makes me collapse. “Really…?” I’m genuinely relieved that Ren is alright. But my feelings of relief revert back to anger and I glare at both Noiz and Clear, “You… What were you doing to Ren? And you! Why did you let him?!”

Clear starts to whine something but Noiz cuts him off with, “I wasn’t doing anything.” He says it so casually with a straight face.

“Liar. You obviously did something.”

“I did, but I didn’t do anything that would cause any problems. You’re the weird one here. Getting all pissy over an Allmate.” Noiz scoffs.

“What the hell?!” I lower Ren to the floor, walk around the sofa, and stand in front of Noiz. I grab him by the collar, ready to hit him until I see something that startles me. Blood is flowing from Noiz’s fingers. Clear steps up, bowing while apologizing but I’m too focused on seeking the source of the blood to properly notice, “You’re hurt?!”

“Yeah, I got nicked by the tool.” Noiz shrugs. Maybe when I picked up Ren, he…? Clear’s head snaps up and he starts to fret until I tell him to look for something to tend to the injury. We should stop the bleeding.

But Noiz retracts his hand from mine, “It’s fine.” He says.

I shake my head and reach out, “No, it isn’t. Show me.”

“It is.”

“Come on, it’s not fi--” I feel a brief pain and realize that the hand I reached out to Noiz with was just slapped away. Dumbfounded, I stare at Noiz like a total idiot.

“Don’t touch me. I’ll do it myself.” Clear returns with a first aid kit he found but Noiz rises from the sofa, takes the kit from Clear, and walks into the hallway. I hear the sound of a door opening and then closing.

I can’t forgive him for tampering with Ren without permission, but now I feel guilty for causing that injury…

There was a lot of blood too…

I turn to Ren and pick him up again, “Ren. Are you really okay?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m really sorry Master…” Clear hangs his head with his tail tucking in. “I thought Noiz-san could help Ren-san so…” With a sigh I reach out and pet his head so he’d quit sulking. “What exactly did he do?” I ask Ren.

“He seemed to be checking my performance.”

“Only that?”

“And it seems I was infected with a worm program in the last Drive-By. He removed it.”

…Seriously?

So in other words as Clear said, it was nothing but something good for Ren. I should’ve thanked them instead of getting angry…

Agh, dammit.

I… The blood was just rushing to my head, and I did something really stupid. I want to apologize now but… The way Noiz acted earlier made me think I should leave him alone for now. So I turn to Clear instead. “Thank you Clear… For looking after Ren. And… I’m sorry for getting mad.”

Clear seems to perk up instantly and his tail starts wagging again, “I wouldn’t want to do anything to upset Master! I’m glad Ren-san is better now too!”

I feel a light smile form but my eyes turn to the door of the room Noiz entered. I don’t know if he’s a good guy, bad guy, or something in between. And even if he doesn’t listen to it… I really should apologize anyway.

Standing in front of Noiz’s room, I try knocking lightly.

…No answer.

He must be really angry…

“…I’m sorry.” I quietly mutter the apology and then realize something. Out of everything that happened just now, where was Koujaku? He surely would have been protesting to Mink and Noiz showing up here. Wondering this, I go to the room he went in before and open the door.

There’s no one in there.

“Clear, where’s Koujaku?”

“Ah, Koujaku-san wasn’t here when we returned.”

“What?!” Are you joking right now? “Why didn’t you say something?!”

Clear’s shoulders tense up again and I realize that of course he couldn’t do so. How could he when I overreacted about the situation with Noiz and Ren? I let out a deep breath while pinching the bridge of my nose and then look down at Ren. “...Ren. Where do you think Koujaku went?”

“It is unknown.” He responds, simply.

We should follow after him. There’s no way he knows anyone here in Platinum Jail and to just sneak around like this… It’s reckless. What’s he thinking? I put Ren in my bag and quickly make my way out of Glitter.

Clear tried to follow me but I convinced him to stay. It’s important I don’t get distracted and… Well he could fill Noiz and Mink in but I was sure I can find Koujaku and be back soon. Surely.

I want to believe in Koujaku. But I don’t like that he’s just taking off without saying anything. And I can’t just follow him around like this all day; I need to get more information on Toue.

Is it too much to want to know where he’s heading so I can feel at ease, rather than suspect him of something bad?

I don’t know how long I ran around for, searching for some hint of Koujaku. Just when I thought to give up and contact his Coil, I noticed two people walking like a couple down the road together.

Is that… Koujaku?

And the girl he’s with… She looks like the same one he ditched me and Clear for.

I can’t believe this.

They leisurely walk down Main Street and then cross to the other side. I follow behind, making sure I don’t lose sight of them. While passing through the street, they come up to a rectangular building and go inside. I stop in my tracks and just gaze at the building. There’s no signs or information on the building, just men in suits standing at the entrance.

I have no idea what this building could be for. And it doesn’t seem like it’s one open to the public either. “…Koujaku.”

So he kept quiet and just left to go meet with some girl from yesterday. My anxiety and hope both transform into pure disappointment. He did all that just to see this girl? He could have just told me that was smitten with her.

But he didn’t say anything.

Not a single word…

I feel like I’m suffering from exhaustion more than anger at this point and I get closer to the building. The men in suits hold out their arms, gesturing that I’m not allowed in.

“Any proof of membership on you?” One asked and I shook my head while patting down my coat. “This is a members-only place. The general public can’t enter.” He informed but I glance at the entrance anyway, “I have a friend in there, right now.”

“Please call him yourself.”

“No, but. I--”

“Please call him yourself.”

…This isn’t going to work. I’m not getting anywhere. I might as well get out of here now.

…What?! Just now, something touched my hair…

I turn around and someone suddenly grabs onto my shoulder.

“Sorry to have made you wait. I got caught up at work; the truth is that I didn’t get here until now either. I should have called you earlier.” The man speaks and then looks to the guards, “He’s with me.”

“Understood. Please come inside.” The men in suits lower their arms, move out of the way, and silently bow their head.

What? What just happened?

I try to grasp that concept while the stranger takes me inside, still holding onto my shoulder. We go through the entrance and enter a wide room. There’s loud music pounding throughout it and there’s a weird smell floating around. The dark room is covered in fluorescent lights spinning around. Men and women all around are dancing, talking, and drinking. So it’s a club.

…Anyway, this mystery man.

I shove off his hand and get a good look at him.

“Oh, sorry for doing that so suddenly. It must’ve been quite a scare.” One of the lights dance across the floor and hit the man’s face and I can see his distinct, composed features. I only grab a quick glimpse, but based on his looks, he might be a kitsune and older than me. He’s wearing a kimono and that makes me think of Koujaku, though his is blue. He even has a blue tattoo on his neck.

What’s with the skulls?

He looks calm, smiling at me, but his narrow eyes only bring out his fox qualities more. “I thought you were having some trouble, so I went up to you. Didn’t you want to come in? Am I wrong?”

“That… I did.” Well it is the truth.

The man flashes a sweet smile, “Great. Glad I could help.” His eyes while close now completely resemble a fox. His age is still a mystery to me.

“Please excuse me then. Thank you very much. But why did you do that?” I had to ask and his eyes opened slanted, “Do what?”

“Letting me in.” I answer, “We’ve never met before, have we?”

“No. We’re complete strangers.”

“Then, why…?”

He holds up his hand, “No need to ask. It was just on a whim. Isn’t talking about letting in a person who shouldn’t be here a bad idea?” When that smile returns I look away, realizing his point. “Anyway, it wasn’t out of anything. Don’t look too deep into it. This is paradise. Go have some fun since I let you in.” He turns away yet stops and faces me again, “Oh, I almost forgot.” The man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card.

“You can come here whenever if you have this. Keep it with you.”

“Huh? But--”

“No ‘buts’. Always accept a person’s gift.”

I wanted to refuse it, but the man pushed it on me and I ended up taking it.

“Well, I must be going now. Until then.” He waves his hand politely and disappears into the crowd.

“What in the world was that…?”

“Wasn’t it just a kind passerby?” Asked Ren from my bag.

“He was really shady, you know. And his card…” I take a look at it, a black card with a yellow butterfly on it, “What do I do with this?”

“You should keep it. Either that or you can chase after him.”

Much as I considered Ren’s words, I decided against the notion. That’d be pretty rude to do after he helped get me here. After inspecting the card once more, I put it into my coat pocket. The mystery man threw me off, but I need to search for Koujaku now. I make my way through people who sway to the beat like seaweed in the ocean, and look around the dance floor.

Expect for the flashing lights, it’s dark, so it’s hard to make out any faces; and this rhythm…

The unsteady tempo and electric music pound into my head, and I start to feel dizzy. I feel a weird sense of floating, and the sound pressure pierces my brain; it all feels sickening. Goosebumps pop up on my skin and I can feel nausea build up in my throat. I cover my mouth with a hand.

This is bad, am I drunk…?

How can people stand this combination of blaring music and flashing lights and not get dizzy? I look around and see that everyone is either utterly drunk or stoned while swinging around. They dance, half naked, and it looks like some of them are having sex in a corner. Is this some drug club?

This bizarre music and lighting, they’re both so intense…

The floor is covered in violet smoke; soon it’s hard to tell which is the floor and which is the ceiling. “Aoba, are you okay?” Ren called to me. “You should go back and rest.”

My vision goes blurry, and I can’t stand myself up…

I think of leaving the floor and start walking. But suddenly it feels like I’m walking on tofu, rather than a hard floor. Somehow I keep myself going. Or at least I tried to, but my vision went dark. “Hey now, you okay?” I heard some guy say before a pair of hands was on my arms, “Keep your head up! Is this your first time? You look pretty messed up.”

I can’t form any words to answer this guy even if I wanted to. But I force an eye open to get a look at him. He was tanned with bleach blonde hair and… rounded ears? Maybe a mausumimi… “They say the lights effect guys more.” He states and a smile appears on his face, “Wanna test that out?”

What is he…?

“Okay now, don’t resist. Just try to relax.” His arms slip around my waist and he pulls me in while leaning his face down toward mine.

No way.

He’s not.

I need to… Get away.

 

“…Don’t touch me.”

The voice rang over the loud beat of the music and the man drew back slightly. He stared down the other man swaying in his arms until their eyes met up, sending a chill down his spine. “I said don’t touch me.” He repeated in that entrancing voice, “Let go.” The man felt his arms go weak at the command and when it was repeated yet again he just let the other go.

 

I see a bunch of feet in front of me. All noisy and restlessly moving around the dim room. Did I collapse?

“Aoba, are you alright?” Ren’s voice slips into my ears along with the sound of the pounding music. With my face on the floor, the low bass directly shakes me. The vibration jolts my brain. The high pitched electronic sounds are like the shriek of a drill while it drills into my head. Red and pink lights flash onto the floor. It might be the music, but I can hear heavy breathing.

The low bass. The piercing shrieks.

Repeating over and over…

With my brain feeling as if it’s been blown out, the sight of blood soaks my vision.

Over and over…

Inside me…

Penetrating…

“…Hey.” Something hits my face and I open my eyes.

I see Mink, his face covered in wild shades of pink and red by the light. My head hurts. “Get up.” Mink pulls me up by the arm and stands me up, but my feet won’t carry me. It’s like I’ve become a flimsy sponge. “What’re you doing? Get up.” I hear him click his tongue as he puts his large arm around my back. He pulls me up by my shoulders. “Start walking.” Mink starts to move forward.

Unable to move my own legs, Mink ends up pulling me along like a rag doll. I slide across the floor. Dragged. Just dragging along.

…This is ridiculous.

Realizing this, I start to laugh.

“An overdose?” Mink mumbles and I just laugh even harder for some reason. I just feel weird. An unbearable strangeness. My head hurts. Mink keeps forcibly pulling me along as I keep laughing.

“Oh, is that kid okay? He’s completely stoned!” A girl calls out to us and steps in front of Mink. “And you, hottie with the hard to see face. I like youuuu. Let’s playyy!”

“Move.” He shoves the girl away and silently continues on. We make it to the door, and then stop. I’m about to stumble over and fall. “What are you doing?” Mink tightens his grip on me. Strangely amused again, I throw my arms around Mink’s neck. “Hey.” Mink grips my shoulders trying to push me away. At that moment, a jolt goes through me.

…I want to be ruined.

I want to destroy. No I want to destroy and be destroyed. I want to be broken. I press my head to Mink’s chest, taking a hot breath.

“Cut it out.”

“Wreck me.”

“Ah?”

“Destroy me. I want you to do it. Recklessly, sloppily… anything’s fine. Right here, right now… Ruin me.” As I speak to him, the lights and sounds violate me. But that’s not enough. I want to feel something more direct. I want to feel it so much… so much that I can’t think anymore.

Mink is silent for a little while. Eventually, he starts to walk and pull me along again. I thought we were leaving, but we weren’t. Mink doesn’t head for the door, but rather goes into a narrow alley next to it. We ended up at a dead end with not a soul in sight.

Plastered on the wall are various flyers; they somehow look like the scales on a monster. Mink props and presses my back into the wall while he stands over me. “So this is your true character.”

“True character?” I’m in a daze… I don’t understand what he means. Unable to process anything, I just look up to Mink. His eyes have a different light to them than the usual.

Do they really, or is it just my imagination?

“…Idiot.” Mink murmurs. Then, his hand is on my throat. Pushing me harder against the wall, his grip tightens at the same time. I open my mouth, panting. Seeking for air, my breathing becomes heavy and inconsistent. Mink quietly stares the entire time. There’s no hint of hesitance in his eyes, as if he’s looking down at a lab animal.

But for some reason, I feel so happy and I laugh as I fight for air.

I want to be destroyed by Mink, by these hands. I want to be destroyed.

When that thought flashes through my head, I suddenly feel a weird sense of unfamiliarity, as if I no longer know myself anymore. But soon, that sense is disturbed by the loud music making its way into my ears from the dance floor.

“Satisfied?” Mink whispers into my ear as I give out an involuntary shiver.

This is really like facing death and terror at once, on top of that… At that specific moment, the volume of the music from the dance floor increases. My entire body drowns in the heaviness of the bass. The unstable melody rips through my nerves.

“More… Destroy me… Hahahahaha.”

Maybe it’s due to the lack of oxygen, or probably my body is surrendering to the strain it’s enduring, I’m attacked by a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea. I close my eyes, as if something is seducing me, drawing me in while I fight with the sickness.

The pain and nausea is still lingering when I hear a voice I know all too well. Mink’s grip on my throat slackens. “Aien’t that Aoba? Ren too! Hey, Koujaku, get over here!”

Beni…?

“Aoba!” Suddenly Mink moves away from me completely and I would have dropped to the floor if a flash of red didn’t appear before me and catch me. Koujaku…

“Are you okay? Hey! Pull yourself together!” I blurrily look at him but his head is turned toward Mink. The fringe of his hair blocks his face but from his voice I’m sure he’s snarling, “What are you doing here? What were you doing to Aoba? Bastard.” Koujaku lifts me up.

“Kou… Ergh…” I try to call out his name, but I feel something swell up in my throat. I try to hold it back, put a hand to my mouth again. But…

Oh shit.

…I’ve really done it now.

Not only did I throw up all my food, but my dignity as well.

I feel so embarrassed I could die…

I wipe my mouth and look up. It looks like I stained Koujaku’s kimono pretty bad as well. “Sor—Koujaku… Your kimono…”

“Idiot, don’t talk.”

I hang my head down but Koujaku lightly brings his hand up to my face. “You’re doing fine, so stay still.” He says that in an unusually gentle voice, and wipes my mouth with his sleeve. I flinch and push away Koujaku’s arm, “It’ll get dirty…” But he just holds me down with his shoulder and wipes my mouth with his sleeve anyway.

“Wha- What are you doing?!”

“Shut up. You’re not well. Can you stand?” Koujaku helps me up by my arms. But… I can’t stay up. I’m losing myself again. “Hang on a sec.” He says that, turns his back to me, and crouches down. “C’mere.”

“Eh?”

“Hurry up.”

“What are you…”

“Piggy back. Come on already.” He stares back at me and gestures me to climb on but I still hesitate, leaning on the wall. “What are you… this is a joke right?”

“No. How are we going to get back if you can’t walk? Get on.”

He has a point. I swallow my next words. Somewhat I get myself up and unwillingly climb onto Koujaku. While I do so he starts to growl something at Mink but I ask him to knock it off. Or mumble it really against his shoulder while settling onto his back and he seems to fall silent.

I’m really too old for something like this…

“I’m gonna stand up now.” Koujaku holds onto my thighs and carefully stands up. I cling to his neck, feeling weightless. I haven’t had a piggy back ride since I was a kid, so I feel just a tinge of fear.

The lights, the music, the perfume, the stench of sweat. All of them were mixed together in that room. When we get outside, the air feels so refreshing. With Mink quietly trailing behind us, Koujaku silently keeps walking, readjusting his hold on me from time to time.

At first I was embarrassed to see people watch me be carried, but I quickly gave into it. The heat of Koujaku’s back felt nice. Some of the sickness faded away. “…Koujaku.”

“Hm?”

“…I’m sorry. For ruining your kimono.”

“Don’t sweat it; I can always wash it later. Isn’t this how we’ve always been?” His words stab me in the heart. Koujaku’s kindness can hurt sometimes. “For now, just be quiet. You never know when you might start feeling sick again.”

“…Okay.”

Koujaku has always taken care of me, and that hurts even more.

Koujaku, he… helped me even when I ruined his clothes. He’s kind, and he’s good with taking care of others. I guess this is why girls fawn over him so much… But… Did he… Did he hear the things I was saying to Mink…?

I’m not sure myself if I really said those things or not.

A different thought pops into my head however, and I go back to my suspicions about Koujaku. Maybe I’m being too sensitive about it, but he’s doing something in secret for sure.

“Koujaku…”

“Hm?”

“…Nevermind.”

Maybe I should just give up on it. Or maybe I should just pretend. I don’t know. It’s still hard for me to understand him even though he’s been my friend since we were kids. I can’t tell how close we really are. While silently thinking to myself, I start to feel heaviness throughout my body. Koujaku’s rhythm of walking feels nice. My eyelids gradually feel heavier and heavier, and I fall asleep on Koujaku’s back.


	15. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So is anyone else getting sucked into that Dragon Age: Inquisition game? Yeah. Anyway here's a new chapter and hopefully I'll follow up with the next one soon!

Koujaku carried me all the way to Glitter and up to the second floor, or so I guessed by the time I woke up again. He wasn’t any happier finding out that Noiz was here too. But for now he dropped the matter.

“Can you take off your clothes? They’re completely dirty.” Koujaku asks after dropping me in my room and barricaded Clear from coming in to check up on me. I take off my jacket and throw it to him, plopping onto the mattress and sinking into it utterly exhausted. “How do you feel?” Koujaku asked as I take long and deep breaths through my mouth. “Better than before.”

With a smile, Koujaku puts Ren on the bed with me. Ren quickly curls up and snuggles up to me while I pet his blue fur. Koujaku then leaves the room, but immediately comes back and puts something on the table.

A glass of water.

“Drink this and go to sleep.” He says and after I thank him, we don’t say anything else. Koujaku just looks down and silence fills the air. I then knew that there was some meaning to his silence. We’re both probably thinking about the same thing right now.

About that club…

Speaking of which… Where had Mink gone? He was following us outside of the club right?

After a short while, Koujaku looks as if he’s decided on something and raises his head. “…Aoba. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Koujaku paused but then asked, “What were you doing there?” I keep my mouth shut, unsure of what to reply with. Yet Koujaku holds his gaze on me, waiting for my answer.

How should I say it…

A puzzled expression rises to my face. Should I answer like I always do, or should I keep quiet? I feel like I should stop this now. But…

If I can’t wipe away my suspicions, shouldn’t I just ask him?

I throw away my hesitations and open my mouth, “How about you? What were you doing there?”

A look of surprise comes over Koujaku’s face. “What I… Do you know what that place was for?”

“No… I just happened to run into you.” While speaking of awful things to Mink. I really didn’t want to keep thinking about that moment. Not to mention that I had actually followed Koujaku to that club in the first place… I can’t bring myself to say that.

“You just ‘went’ there? How did you get in?” Koujaku squints at me. An awful chill runs down my spine. “I was about to call out to you, but I was stopped at the entrance. Then someone helped me and…”

“Helped you? Scratch’s head?”

“What?” It took me a moment to realize he meant Mink and I shook my head. “No. It was some kitsune. He seemed like a regular there and wore a kimono like yours.”

“…Kimono?” Koujaku’s eyebrows twitch. “He was wearing a kimono? Remember anything else about him?”

“Huh? Why?” I ask and Koujaku has another surprised look on his face. “I just… thought that he might be someone I know.”

…This again. This atmosphere. It’s just like the one he had when he came back this morning. He’s obviously hiding something.

“…He was wearing a blue kimono, had short hair, and a carefree attitude… He also had a tattoo on his neck and wore a lot of--”

Koujaku cut me off, “What design?”

I raise a brow but answer, “A dragon. Or… a seahorse? Something like that.”

Koujaku’s expression turns cold. He stands there with a grim expression and ears pinned back, thinking. “Do you know him or something?” I ask to get his attention back. It works and he looks straight at me but he suddenly and firmly orders, “Aoba. Don’t ever go near that place again.”

Where did this come from…?

A bad mood starts to fill the air once again.

“Why’s that?”

“It doesn’t matter, just don’t go near there.”

“What the hell? Because of that guy? Besides, didn’t you have something you needed to tell me before I even brought that up? …Like why you left again without a word? Did you think Clear wouldn’t notice? Or me?”

Koujaku lets out a sigh, “So you followed me.”

I look down ashamed, “…Sorry. I lied when I said it was by chance. But you are being so sneaky, I felt like I had to. And considering the situation we’re in, it was out of worry for you. But I’m not sure if I can say that with complete honesty…”

“It wasn’t like that!” Koujaku interrupts me with a booming voice. One word was all it took. His face stiffens as he thinks hard over something. “…But, I can’t say anything more than that. Sorry.” And then Koujaku turns his back to me.

“Hey, Koujaku! Wait!” I yell at him to stop. But he just leaves the room anyway. Koujaku’s attitude leaves me still as I just stare at the door. So that’s how it is. He doesn’t have any intention to tell me. He flat out rejected me. I throw myself head first into a pillow and breathe a deep sigh into it. I have no other way of letting my feelings out.

I’m filled with irritation towards Koujaku and hatred for my own self.

We’ve known each other for so long, so we pretty much understood each other. That’s what I always thought. But right now…

I don’t get one thing about Koujaku. I don’t even know what to do about him anymore. What is he hiding from me?

What’s in that club?

Why doesn’t he want me there?

“I don’t know what’s going on anymore…” I cover my eyes with my hands and let out another sigh. I’ve always been with Koujaku and never had to deal with this before. Maybe I was just full of myself, thinking I knew everything about him. What does Koujaku… even think of me?

A wave of uneasiness rushes into me, and I keep thinking about everything I don’t have the answers to.

At that club with Mink. I… The memory is so unclear that it doesn’t seem real… I don’t want it to be real but it is. Where had he gone after we came back to Glitter? He should be scorning me for showing how foolish a person can be. Right? There was also that whole incident with Noiz, Clear, and even Ren. “…Shit!”

“Aoba…”

I move restlessly on the bed before turning to Ren and picking him up. “…Ren.”

“Are you alright? You look like you’re in a bad condition.”

Just hearing Ren sounding normal again suddenly makes me feel miserable, and I tightly hug his tiny body. “It really hurts… What do I do?”

“You should rest for a little. You were in quite the dangerous situation back there. Rather than from the effects of the drugs, it was your consciousness which was in turmoil with your other. Because of that, your self control weakened and your power, Scrap, sent you in a state of half-consciousness.”

“Are you serious…?”

“If you stayed in there any longer, Scrap would have possibly gone berserk.”

I shiver at those words.

What would happen if Scrap went beserk?

Would even more people go crazy? Or worse.

I followed Koujaku to that club but Mink followed me too. I still can’t tell what his objective is anymore than Koujaku’s. More like I can’t understand anything Mink is thinking…

Why did Mink follow me?

Did Clear tell him what I was doing?

“Aoba.” Ren called to me again and pawed at my face until I looked at him, “You should rest…”

“…You’re right.” Sighing, I put my headphones on and listen to music.

 

Blinking slowly, I stare up at the ceiling. Looks like I’ve been out for some time. I’m not sure how long I was asleep, but my body feels much better than before. I carefully get up from the bed, making sure not to throw off Ren by accident, and I drink the glass of water on the table in one sip. I was a lot thirstier than I thought.

I leave the room, wanting more to drink. Despite feeling a little dizzy, I keep walking anyway.

It must be early because nobody was out. Or maybe it was just really late still.

I go over to the bar counter and pour myself some more water before hearing some sounds come from downstairs. The dim sound of running water. Koujaku? Or it could be the others.

…I should go apologize for before no matter whom it is downstairs.

It would be bad to leave it as is.

There’s things we need to all discuss…

I go downstairs and head towards the bathroom. Walking down the hallway until I came to a stop in front of the door where the sound is coming from. I open it a little but stop myself. I peek through the small gap of the door, and see some bright colors.

What is that?

Controlling my breathing, I push on the knob just a little bit more so I can see well.

Inside is Koujaku. He looks like he’s washing his kimono in the sink. I can hear the sound of water running and the squelch of fabric being rubbed. He doesn’t notice me with his back turned to me. My eyes are locked onto the vivid display on his back.

…A tattoo.

Sprawled across his back were beautiful, blooming red flowers. And along his arm… Another tattoo that—judging by the mirror’s reflection—spread down his chest and further down…

Seeing such marvelous tattoos puts me into a sort of shock.

Not just the tattoo.

The scars.

Koujaku… is covered in more scars than I thought. This is the first time I’ve ever seen them. When he returned to the island, all I ever saw were the scars on his face and hands. He would just avoid the subject and smile away without saying anymore about it.

The scars on his chest were easily from his childhood, but I couldn’t think of the reason for getting tattoos all over his body.

The scars were faint like they been there for some time. What would you have to go through to get that many scars? The tattoos and scars must’ve all happened when he went to the mainland.

…This is a Koujaku I don’t know.

I would have never known if I hadn’t come downstairs.

What happened to Koujaku when he was off the island…?

It wasn’t as if it was just for a little while though. I thought I knew everything about Koujaku after he came back home. All I know is the old Koujaku from my past.

The Koujaku I see here now… I don’t know who he is.

I step back from the door, wondering how close I actually am to him. Realizing that I’d been holding my breath for some time, I quietly breathe and then stumble my way back up the stairs and into my bed.

The tattoo on his back. The countless scars.

I couldn’t count how many things were swirling around in my mind. I close my eyes to calm down and then the door to my room opens.

…It’s Koujaku.

I turn over right away towards the wall, away from him. I don’t want to let Koujaku, who’s tense enough, see my face.

“The bathroom dryer really helped me out. It works really quick.” He speaks in his usual tone. So I’ll respond by being casual as well. Like nothing is wrong. But…

I can’t bring myself to do that.

Still facing the wall, I open my mouth. “Koujaku. You…”

“What is it?”

“…What are you hiding from me?”

There was a pause that tempted me to turn around but I stayed put and Koujaku finally mumbled, “…What? Where’d this come from?”

“Don’t avoid the question. I don’t know if I can trust you anymore. I don’t have it in me. I don’t know anything about you anymore.”

…No.

That wasn’t what I wanted to say.

I’m not sure whether to keep on talking but my mouth just keeps moving. “I don’t know about the time when you were off Midorijima. I want to, but I don’t know how I can come to know… Right now, I need to figure things out so I can get to Toue. I can’t horse around. But… I don’t have it in me to trust you anymore. You’re not giving me any reason to.”

“Aoba…”

I think on what I just said as Koujaku weakly calls my name and I get up to look at him. There’s a stern look upon his face and he just stares at his feet. Regret pools up inside me when I look at his face. Right as I find another thing to say, Koujaku opens his mouth. “No matter… No matter what… I can’t tell you. I’m sorry, Aoba…” With the same rejection as before he looks at me with a pained and anxious expression. “If I tell you, I’ll just be causing you more pain. If you can’t believe in me… Then that’s how it is. But the fact that I want to help you isn’t a lie. So at least believe in that. It’s hard for me to say this but… Please, Aoba.”

I looked away from him unable to meet his gaze anymore. After a moment my mouth opens again, “…I understand.” I couldn’t answer… any other way. No matter how much we talk, I won’t reach Koujaku. Nothing has or will change. I can only gently brush against him while our distance stays the same. If he says that he won’t reveal anything, it’s not worth it for me to keep trying to pry.

“I’m sorry for making you feel so awful. You should sleep some more. I’ll be here, so call me if you need anything.”

“…Okay.”

“…Night.” Koujaku leaves the room. He carefully closes the door, and the faint sound of it shutting reaches my ears. I shut my eyes close and throw my face into the bed. I wanted to trust him, but…

I thought we felt the same way, but we changed somewhere.

…This isn’t the time to get hung over something like this. I need to focus on why I came to Platinum Jail: I can’t act carefree like this. I know that, but it’s hard for me to think straight. “…God damn it!”


	16. Special Commemoration Event

“Hck, ugh, hck… Mmf.”

I’m crying…?

“Uuuungh, uuf…”

No matter how much I try to suppress it, a sob hiccups through and the tears keep pooling over. I raise my hands to my eyes. “Granny… When are you coming hooome…? Ungh…” The words spill from my mouth. The younger me’s mouth.

This is Midorijima… And this park…

“You said you’d be here at five… Granny…”

I watch the younger version of me crouching on the ground and crying. Why was I calling for Grams? Where was she?

“Aoba!” A voice, a voice I’d almost forgotten, calls from nearby and sure enough the boy in red running to my side was…

“You were here? I looked all over for you.” The boy panted like he’d been running for a while before tilting his head slightly at the younger me, “…Aoba, your eyes are red. Were you crying?”

“…I was-wasn’t crying.”

“Haha, liar. You’re crying right--”

“No I’m not!”

I felt a smile form watching this scene, this memory, play out before me and I lean back against a play set. A slight sting enters my chest.

The boy in red laughs more and waves his hands and tail to calm the younger me. “Okay, okay, you’re not. So, did something happen?”

“…Nothing.”

“Liar. If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell Tae-san.”

“…Granny didn’t come home.”

“Tae-san?”

“She said she’d be here by five…”

“It’s… already seven.”

The younger me began to cry again and the boy in red once again waved his hands, gently shushing, “It’s going to be okay! She must be late because she’s busy at work. She’ll be here soon, so don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying!”

Man I was quite the kid back then…

“Yeah, yeah, you weren’t crying. Hey, play with me until Tae-san gets here, okay? Time will fly by before you know it.”

“…Okay.”

“Here, give me your hand.” The boy in red takes the younger me’s hand and then says, “Don’t give in, Aoba. When you’re lonely or sad, don’t give in. We need to be strong so we can protect Mom and Tae-san.”

“Yeah…”

“Right, let’s have a contest to see who can get the highest on the swings!”

The younger me took the boy in red’s hand in a tighter grip before muttering, “Koujaku, don’t give in… either.”

The younger Koujaku just smiles with a nod while a wave of nostalgia comes over me. Don’t give in. That’s what we told each other…

The scene faded out until suddenly there was nothing but darkness all around.

What is this…?

I can’t move my body.

I can’t move a muscle, my voice won’t come out, and then…

My right arm shakes violently. Below my elbow is nothing. It was bitten clean off. It doesn’t hurt. But it’s terrifying, the feeling of not having it there. Then it’s my leg too… Under the left knee, devoured and gone. The blackness flickers as a strange, numbing sensation tickles at the wound. I need to run away.

I need to run away quickly!

 

I bolt upright, thinking about the dream I had before checking the time. It does say it’s before noon, but as usual, Platinum Jail is still in night time mode outside. Staying in a place like this is really going to mess me up. Rubbing my eyes I get up with my head hurting a little and I pick up Ren, leaving the room. There’s still some anxiety left over from that dream…

I walk down the hallway into the living room and feel like having a bit of coffee, so I head to the bar counter. Even though I’m planning on coffee, I briefly check the fridge. Inside it are some ingredients and fruits. Was this always here? Clear did make a large meal yesterday.

My head throbs remembering that scenario.

I wonder if anyone’s awake yet though. I take a couple mugs out and fill them with instant coffee. I still need to apologize to Noiz and Mink. Wondering how to go about it, I continue preparing the beverages until a sound from the hallway stops me.

…It’s Noiz.

For whatever reason, I suddenly become very nervous and stare at the hot water poured into the cups instead of looking up. Noiz is coming over here. “…Morning.”

“Morning.”

…He answered me.

I’m a little relieved.

Noiz sits on the sofa and I bring over a cup of coffee to him, setting it on the table. “I made coffee.”

“Thanks.”

His responses are surprisingly normal. At any rate, he doesn’t seem like he’s angry about before. “…You know, about yesterday…” As I begin to apologize, Noiz, who took the cup and put it to his mouth, suddenly jerks back in surprise. He presses his mouth with his hand. Did he just burn himself? I return to the bar counter in a hurry and walk back with a cup full of water and a box of napkins. “Sorry, was it hot? Here, have some water.”

Noiz frowns at the cup and then at me, “…It’s no big deal.”

Even with him saying that, I notice he’s still holding the mug even though coffee had spilled onto that hand. I quickly wipe up what I can with the tissues. How is he holding it so calmly…? “Go cool off your hand! It got burnt too, right?”

“My hand? …Ah.” With a raised brow, Noiz looks at his hand like he’d just noticed. Only his fingers were visible from the bandages wrapped around the rest of his hand, but they were red. After he removed the bandages, the redness went further down along with swelling. It hurts to even look at it. I can’t leave him like this.

“Come on, let’s get some water over that!” I grab Noiz’s arm, to pull him to the mini kitchen behind the bar counter, until pain shoots up my hand from a sudden strike.

Ears back, tail bristled, Noiz glares at me while standing up. “I’ll do it myself.” With that cold remark he steps behind the counter.

…I don’t get it.

Is he just pretending not to feel the pain or something? Is that why he doesn’t want my help?

If that’s the case, then he’s acting like a total kid.

But this is just like yesterday. I caused him to get injured again, right when I was trying to apologize for the first one. I’m the worst…

Filled with guilt, I look at Noiz standing behind the counter. “…Really. I’m sorry. For yesterday too… I was angry because I thought you were doing something bad to Ren. But you were removing the worm in him, right? …Thank you.”

He glances over his shoulder and a light shrug rolls through, “I did get rid of it. But I only did it because I was interested in your Allmate.”

I blink questioningly at him.

“I was wondering how you beat me.” Noiz looks away but keeps talking, “I figured there was something in your Allmate.”

“…What the hell?”

“I looked inside and took out the worm on the way. But in the end all I found out was that it’s just an old model.” Noiz looks at me again with something like skepticism. Or maybe I’m imaging it. “Why are you still using something like that?” He asks.

I frown at him, “…It’s none of your business.”

“It probably wasn’t an issue when you did Rhyme, but your Allmate is still one of those early models, right?”

He’s completely ignoring what I just said. Why does he care so much?

“When I came to this island and started Rhyme about three, four years ago, nobody was using models like that.”

I’m well aware that Ren is an old model. But that doesn’t matter.

“I took the liberty to investigate your Allmate. I also took the worm out without permission. So you have no reason to apologize to me.”

Wait what? The hell…?! “Ngh, it doesn’t matter! Would you just ask or explain better before you do these things?”

“By the way, aren’t you hungry?”

“Huh?”

The sudden change in topic catches me off guard. Hungry? How’s that connected to the conversation we were just having? But Noiz goes down the stairs without minding me at all. “Hey!” I call after him, “Where are you going?”

“Out.”

“Wait a second!” I rush down the stairs too and then stop. What about the others? Noiz was still heading toward the door but I couldn’t just take off without saying something.

I scramble back up the stairs for my bag and Ren before checking Clear’s room first.

…He wasn’t there.

I go to Mink’s and then Koujaku’s but they’re both gone too.

…Why is everyone taking off like this?! We’re supposed to be working together, right? Yet of course, I turn back to the stairs and Noiz was now gone too.

I feel like a parent that just lost track of their children…

 

***

 

I don’t have Mink’s number or Clear’s so it was pointless trying to contact either of them. Koujaku wouldn’t answer his Coil and without Noiz’s info either, I was left running around trying to spot someone, any of them at this point.

The streets are so feverish; the parade with a band, people in costume, dancers waving around while marching along. The dancers would slip into the crowds and dance around, making the crowd even larger and harder to maneuver through. Maybe… They went to the event.

With that in mind, I slowly made my way to the tower through the throngs of people. People were overflowing, pushing each other around in the plaza in front of the tower. “Well, fuck…”

Some guy I don’t know crashes into me from behind and hugs me all of a sudden. “Let go!” I snap. He just laughs, spewing some nonsense about Toue and this event until I push him off and get away. “What the hell, a bunch of drunks?” And right after I thought that… This time a girl grabs onto me, pushing me outside of the crowd of people. As I desperately try to get free, I see all of these people around me are smiling. It’s not even a genuine smile it’s just… creepy. As I stand there in a panic, the large monitors above the crowd changes pictures and roars echo throughout the plaza.

“Everyone, we have left you waiting long enough. The representative, the great Toue, will now be administering his greetings.” Booms a female announcer’s voice.

The cheers of joy and clapping grow to the point where it pounds my ears. Someone walks onto the tower balcony. The monitors focus. In the middle is Toue and there is a single guard on each side of him, as well as another person slightly behind him. His head is facing downwards, so it’s hard to see his face.

“…Everyone.” With one word from Toue into his mic, the entire crowd went unbelievably quiet. Everyone’s face is plastered with anticipation for Toue’s next words. He takes a moment and calmly looks down to the people in the plaza with a small grin. “On this occasion, I would like to thank you all for coming to this Special Commemoration Event. I would like to celebrate this day, the 10th anniversary of the opening of Platinum Jail. It certainly has been a while. Yes. Time will not stop for us. And for this reason, I believe that everyone should spend their limited time here as happy as they can be.

“But what is happiness? I’ve always wondered. Happiness is not something so easily obtained. But I also believe that anyone can seize it. No matter the setting, people can find a way to be able to laugh from the bottom of their hearts, find delight, and obtain a sense of tranquility. And if everyone were to be able to achieve this, there would be no need for fighting. Anger and sadness are the fruits of adulthood. That argument is plausible. However, everyone suffers from the two throughout their daily life.

“I would want them to forget their ordinary life and live happily within the moment. And I would also want this place to become their second home. I’m always wishing for that, for happiness to trickle down from person to person.”

Toue puts his hand on his chest and quietly tilts his head downwards. “That’s why,” He suddenly gestures to the monitors and I notice that the images had changed to a warehouse. A crowd of men walk along with their heads down, soon followed by police. Those guys… They look familiar. Are they okamis? The guys on Mink’s team were… My eyes widen at the screen. “To all of the people of Platinum Jail, I would like to give you an apology for all of the uneasiness caused,” Toue continued, “I will take on all responsibility for letting these terrorists exert their aggressive actions.”

The response in the crowd was instant. Roaring out insults and curses at the men on the screen like they could be heard until Toue raised a hand and everyone went silent again, “However, I would like us to be able to forgive them. Compared to us, they are the kind of people who know only grief. Envious of our perfectly blessed lives, they were unable to control their envy and attempted to release it accordingly. They must receive punishment, but I ask this of all of you. I would like for none of us to hate them. They may have been thrown into misfortune by chance, and we are all human.

“So please, do not forget that. On the surface of such a silent yet clear fact, I will make my decision. I hope that you all will find the compassion in your hearts.”

While the audience broke out in a cheer after some silence following Toue’s speech, I could only stare at the monitor wondering if Mink was there. Was he captured too?! This is exactly why we can’t be separating in a place like this!

This event… It’s like a meeting for a cult with devout believers.

Toue looked at his praising followers with satisfaction, and opened his mouth once again. “This event will be open for two days. The main event is tomorrow. Today is the eve of that. Before tomorrow comes, I would like to display a new ‘Joy’ for everyone here… Now, here.” Toue calls up the person behind him. “His name is Sei. He is like a son to me. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if not for him. He is most precious to me. I would like to introduce him to you all for this special event. He is both my pride and joy. He is the messenger that will bring happiness to people’s hearts. I would greatly appreciate it if you could give him your blessings.”

The crowd goes crazy, yelling out to the young youth, Sei, with inquisitive gazes. Sei raises his head, it now being displayed on the giant monitors.

That’s…!

Isn’t he the person I ran into? The one sitting in that alley while I was looking for Clear and Ren…?

A sensation of electricity goes through me when I meet his eyes. Just like before. But this time it’s different. His face on the monitor… I couldn’t take my gaze off of it.

The look in his eyes… flickered in my head countless times.

Like he was reaching all the way inside of me…

Flickering over and over…

His dark eyes are looking right at me, going deep the further I sink…

Suddenly, I feel a strong headache coming on, “Ow…!” My head is pounding. What’s going on…?

“Ahh… Sei, you’re so amazing…”

“Sei-sama…”

The people who were only minutes ago cheering for Toue are now staring in awe at Sei’s face, as if possessed. “Thank you. I’m very grateful for all of your blessings. I believe that this entire island, not only Platinum Jail, will be able to enjoy tomorrow’s main event.” Cuts in Toue and the huge image of Sei changes to something else. The next picture was of… The Old Resident District?!

“Due to Platinum Jail’s construction, I’m sad to say that this district does not share our enthusiasm; the islanders still live here and there, uncooperative. That fact has always been looming over us, but now they have been coming towards us and showing a sign of compromise. Please take a look.”

The sound of clapping and cheers gushed out of the plaza. My mouth opens like an idiot as I stared at the monitor, having completely forgotten about my headache. These are the streets I know all too well. But they seem so unfamiliar.

Residents of the Old Resident District were wholeheartedly looking at the TV, without any confusion around them. What was on the TV screen was this event. There were people walking outside, stopping at the monitors to watch, and even people in shops did the same.

“This can’t be true…” I mutter in disbelieve. Toue just said they been coming forward in a sign of compromise. But that can’t be right. There are an overwhelming amount of people who don’t really know what Toue has done. Most of the people in the Old Resident District hate him for those things. There’s no way they turned over a new leaf in such a short time.

And right now, everyone shown on the monitor, watching this event, had a dazed expression. Their faces all seem artificial. Their eyes don’t seem to be focusing.

Like with Mizuki and Dry Juice being manipulated by Morphine.

Another pain in my head causes it to throb. But, more importantly…

“Hey, Ren… This looks bad.” I talk to Ren, his head sticking out of my bag. “Yeah. This isn’t a normal situation.”

“Are they being controlled…?”

“The possibility is exceedingly high.” Ren stated. It’s just as Granny said. How Toue was planning to control all of the people on the island.

…Is Granny okay?

Haga-san, Yoshie-san, the brats… Everyone…

“They too will reach paradise sooner or later. I would like you all to welcome them in and get along.” The crowd raises their volume even higher to Toue’s words.

…All of these people here have no idea.

They have no idea of reality, and no desire to; they’re just dancing along in Toue’s palm. It’s not just because Toue researched how to control people’s minds. But rather because all of the people here blindly follow him. They go along with him because it’s a lot more fun to just not think.

A world with no pain, no anger, no suffering.

Toue may call that joy, but he’s completely wrong. Although all the people here don’t doubt a word he says, they’re just swallowing it all up.

…This is fucking ridiculous.

Everything is so wrong, but they don’t notice…

How can they think this way…?!

“Cheers, to the Old Resident District!!” A man next to me exclaimed. His thoughtless shout pisses me off and I scowl at him. “Cheers, to the Old Resident District and Toue-san--”

“Shut up.” I impulsively grab the man by the collar.

“Wh-What’s with you?” The man tried to remove my hand but I tightened my grip, “Shut your fucking mouth.” I growl.

“Why are you angry? Didn’t Toue-san say? That we should open our minds to be as happy as…”

“Shut up!!”

“Aoba!”

I raise a fist into the air just before Ren’s voice reaches my ears. “Calm down, Aoba.” I relax the hand gripping the man’s collar, and he escapes into the excited crowd in a panic. “…Shit!” I’m so pissed. At these people. At Toue.

But more so, I’m angry at how I can’t do a single thing even though I’m right here…!

“If you start acting up, we won’t be able to make any moves.” Ren tries to convince me and I feel my teeth grit together, “I know, I know that, but…!”

“One of your bad points has always been that you can’t control your temper.”

“Well I can’t help it!”

What am I doing…? I just lashed out on Ren. My headache has been intolerable for the past few minutes… But that’s just an excuse. “…Sorry. I… It’s a really bad habit. I’m sorry.”

Ren starts to say something but my Coil starts to ring. I check who it is but the number is unrecognizable. I forced my way out of the pile of people, moving as far away as I could, and picked up. “Hello..?”

“…Aoba-kun?”

Haga-san?!

“…I’m disguising my number as one from the mainland right now. I’ll try to talk for as long as I can.”

“Haga-san, are you alright? Right now, they were just showing the Old Resident District…”

“Yes. Just a few moments ago, music started blasting throughout the entire town, and somehow Platinum Jail intermediaries stationed themselves here.”

No… No!

“What about everyone else? Grams, Yoshie-san…”

“Right now, everyone is safe. Just before the music started to play, Tae-san told us to plug our ears.”

“That’s great to hear…” Really, I almost fell over in relief. But things were still bad.

“Are you okay as well, Aoba-kun…?”

“I’m alright.”

“What about the others that went with you?”

I pause to that question. I had no idea how Koujaku and the rest are because I don’t even know where they are. Haga-san noticed my hesitance to answer and began to speak again, “At any rate, please don’t do anything absurd by yourself. We’re thinking of a counter plan on our side. We will do something before tomorrow. It seems unlikely that we’ll be able to do anything more today, but I think Toue’s main event is where he’ll do something big. We have that much time left. So calm down, Aoba-kun, and don’t take any action on your part. If something happened to you, Tae-san and the others will be in tears. Me too, of course. So…”

Suddenly the line cuts.

“Haga-san? Haga-san?!” I try to redial.

It won’t reconnect! Shit!

I give up on redialing and the noises of the cheering all around clog up my ears.

“I said earlier, but in Japan right now, it is only the eve of tomorrow’s true performance. So please, relax and be content for now. I will be taking my leave.” Toue grins and he and Sei are escorted back inside of the tower by their guards. As Toue left, people cheered on for an encore, but many were starting to trickle out.

I stood in the middle in a daze and watched the people around me leave. “Aoba, we should go back to Glitter and rest.” Said Ren.

“We don’t have time for that…!” I bit back and he calls my name again more sternly. I’m lashing out on him again… “…Sorry. You’re right.” I need to get my thoughts in order.

Yet my Coil starts to ring again.

Quickly I answer it. Did Haga-san find another way to call back?!

“Hello? Is this Master?” The voice that came through instead was… Clear? He’s speaking softly. “Clear, where are you right now?”

“Please listen to me, Master. I’ve somehow gotten inside Oval Tower.”


	17. Unveil

This guy…

I couldn’t believe when he told me that he got into Oval Tower. Turns out I had every right to be skeptical.

First he sends me a picture that looked like a kid’s drawing. The directions ended up leading me away from the tower and back on main street. Something is way off. Why would Clear send me directions leading away from Oval Tower? I wondered that while walking in a confused state and now here I stood at the place marked on Clear’s map.

And it’s not Oval Tower.

“…What is he doing?”

Suddenly my Coil goes off again. It’s Clear. “Hey, Clear. The map you sent me is wrong.”

“No, it is not. I’m right here! Up here, Master!”

I stare at the screen of my coil before looking up and… I can’t believe my eyes. Yet there’s Clear in the window of the building, waving his hand at me. I look at the sign in front of the building Clear is in. It spells “Overr Tower” not “Oval Tower”.

“That idiot…”

“It seems he got the wrong tower.” Ren commented, making me feel all the more exasperated and I point at the sign, “How do you make a mistake like that?”

“I’m not quite sure.”

I stare back up at Clear, turn my face to my Coil, and take a breath. “Idiot! Get down from there right now!!”

“Master! No! Shh! Shhh!”

“You’re in the wrong place! Get down here as quickly as possible!”

Clear’s restlessness suddenly comes to a complete stop. “Eh? I really did?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“N-no way!”

Jeez…

“Get down first, be shocked later!”

“Yes…” Clear whimpers before hanging up and his gas mask disappears from the window. Eventually, Clear comes out of the entrance while hanging his head, tail tucked. “I’m sorry…” He really looks like a kicked puppy. “…Anyway, let’s just find the others and get back to Glitter. We need a real plan.” I sigh, pulling Clear along and wearily head back the way I came. As if my headache wasn’t bad enough. I’ll need to take some of my meds when we get back.

I thought about scolding Clear for the detour but he looked down as it is. And anyway I already decided we needed to figure out where everyone else was. The image of the group that was rounded up earlier set an uneasy feeling through me.

“Master?”

“Not now Clear.”

“But isn’t that Noiz-san over there?”

I stop in my tracks and look to where Clear is pointing. Sure enough there’s Noiz standing in front of a food stand. He already had something in his arms but it looks like he’s ordering something else. “Come on.” We head toward him. Simple restaurants seem to be gathered around here and there are also similar shops left and right. “Hey, Noiz!”

He turns around just long enough to pass me a box of dumplings and then moves on to the next shop. He buys something there and moves on to another one. And another. “How much is he buying?!”

“He must be very hungry.”

I stare at Clear before following after Noiz again. Both of Noiz’s hands are filled with enough food that he could drop it all at any moment. I can’t bear the sight of it any longer and I rush over to him with Clear, splitting the load between the three of us.

“If you wanna eat too, go ahead.” Noiz says before biting into a crepe. “That’s not… You bought too damn much.” I retort back and adjust the boxes in my hands. “But if this is for all of us, then this is good! We should find Koujaku-san and Mink-san so they can have some!”

I nod in agreement with Clear. We need to find those two.

“If it’s about money, I have plenty.” Noiz shrugs and keeps walking.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You got some part time job with a good hourly pay?”

“I’m dealing Rhyme information. There are lots of customers who want my team’s advice even if it’s expensive. They just wanna know where Usui’ll show up.”

He did say he was doing something like that. But I don’t understand why anyone would pay money to buy information about a game. “Ah, Noiz-san must be really good at his job to get paid a lot!” Clear compliments and Noiz just shrugs again before looking toward me with a straight face, “Hey, what’s that?” Or rather he was looking at the octopus dumplings that I’m holding. “Didn’t you just buy this?”

“I did, but I don’t know what it’s called.”

Thinking he’s joking, I stare at Noiz’s face. But it doesn’t look like he is. He curiously peers at the octopus dumplings.

“Are you joking?” I ask and a small frown forms on Noiz’s face, “I’m not. Just tell me already.”

I sigh, “Takoyaki.”

“Takoyaki… Weird. And this?” Noiz shows me a package he was holding.

“Crepe.”

“This?”

“Deep fried doughnuts.”

“Huh. They all have weird names.”

I give Noiz another confused stare. It doesn’t seem like he’s making fun of this. I knew this neko was different, but I didn’t think he wouldn’t know the names of foods that even kids and old people back home knew about…

Noiz stares at the crepe in his hand then at the deep fried doughnuts Clear was holding and he snags one, eating it in one bite. “It’s sweet.”

“Of course it is.”

“But it’s not bad.”

“You can have more.” Clear’s tail wagged as he held out the box but Noiz seemed to ignore him. This whole thing now has me wondering, “What the heck have you been eating till now?”

“Delivery pizza and pasta.” Noiz answers automatically.

“Only that?” Clear and I ask almost at the same time.

“Only that.”

“Wouldn’t you normally get bored of that stuff?” I think I would.

“Not really. I’ve always been okay with everything that tastes good.”

He’s a complete weirdo…

Without really thinking, I eat one of the octopus dumplings I’m holding. I guess I am kinda hungry. After having not eaten in a while, it tastes pretty good. I always thought that Platinum Jail only had fancy restaurants, but between the stuff Clear got a hold of before and this, apparently it has all kinds of stuff. While I was looking at the other shops, my right arm was suddenly grabbed.

The dumpling I was about to eat…!

Noiz leaned over and just ate it off the toothpick without any hesitation. “What are you doing?!”

“Salty.” Noiz mumbles around the dumpling in his mouth. I let out a snort, “Of course it is. Are you a kid or something? Just how old are you, kiddo?”

“Nineteen.”

“…Wha?!” Nineteen?! I stare at Noiz. I was always sure he was younger than me, but he’s under twenty…?!

“What?”

“I was… Just thinking about how young you are.”

Noiz’s brow raises, “How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

“Almost the same.”

Like hell it is! I’ve been constantly thinking that he’s weird. Was it because of the age difference? The gap between his calm disposition and appearance…

“Ah, Master!” Clear tugs my sleeve. Letters on a notification monitor like the ones that appear everywhere in the city catch my eye. ‘Special commemorative event.’

I frown with a light shudder going through my spine. We need to get going.

“Hey, Noiz.” I look toward Noiz… But nobody’s there.

…He disappeared again…

“That doofus… Where did he go this time?”

“That way, Master.” Clear points. Feeling like a parent searching for a missing child again, I bolt off with Clear in search of Noiz.

I thought maybe he was going off to buy something again but he was nowhere around the other shops. So we leave the bustling area and head to a small alley with fewer people. As we walk around looking, Clear suddenly stops. He fell a few steps behind me, so I turned around and took a step toward him. “What’s wrong?” I ask before noticing Clear’s floppy ears twitch. I don’t make another sound. “Master.”

“Hm? …Eh?” Clear suddenly grabs me by the arm and starts running without a word. “Hey, what’s wrong?!”

“Master, we have to run!”

“Why?!”

“Noiz-san is in trouble.”

Noiz?! What did he do now?! I turn my head about while Clear pulls me along but there’s no one else in the narrow alleyway. “No one’s here.”

“They’re a bit far away. I can hear footsteps and fighting. It’s a lot of people.”

“Hey wa-wait!” I shake off Clear’s grip and stop my feet. “Are you serious? Are you sure you’re not imagining it?”

Clear’s shoulders tense up and he looks like he wants to reach out to me again but he doesn’t move. “No, I really did hear them. Please believe me.” He uses a pleading tone. I suppose his hearing is pretty impressive. But if he’s wrong again…

“I don’t want this to be a waste of time.”

“I understand. So please, hurry!” Clear turns his head around in a dramatic fashion, then grabs my arm and starts running again. We run down a dark and narrow road. By this point I actually start to hear something now in front of us. At the end of the road I see some sort of commotion.

“You asshole!” A man yells and another curses.

In the middle of the small alley, several men are crowded together, fighting. And in the center of it all… is Noiz. Just as Clear said.

Noiz strikes down one of the men and the man grunts in pain as he falls on his back. Two of them were already on the ground. They’re all wearing suits. “Noiz!” I get Clear to let go of my arm. As I rush over to the fray, everyone stops to look at me.

“Who’re you? His friend?” One guy with a chipped ear snorts. I let out an uneasy laugh and throw a hand against the back of my head, “Ah, well, something like that.”

“Well this little shit went on a fucking rampage… What are you gonna do about it, huh?” Another guy, with even more piercings on his face than Noiz, asks.

“I’m really sorry. He’s just a kid so he goes overboard sometimes. I’m truly sorry. I’ll apologize.” I bow repeatedly while inching closer to Noiz. “Sorry, sorry. I’m sorry, really… Let’s run!” I grab Noiz’s arm and make a break for it. “Ugh, let go of me!” Noiz snaps. “Shut up and run!” I snap back, keeping a tight grip on his arm. At some point of running through the alleyways, Clear sprints ahead of us. I find myself following him until he stops, changes his direction, and then stops again. “What happened?”

“…It’s no use. There’s too many people. We’re surrounded.”

As if to confirm Clear’s words, I hear footsteps approaching from all around. People soon emerge in sight, about ten or so compared to the small group that Noiz was fighting with. A guy with glasses appears to be leading them. “Hey there.” The man in the glasses, covered in blue and red bruises, wears a petty grin on his face.

Did Noiz do that?

“You beat up a couple of my boys back there.” He points to his own face and adjusts his glasses, “Nobody is suppose to mess with us here. I think it’s only right we return your hospitality. …Go.” He jerks his jaw in our direction and the surrounding men start moving in. Someone grabs me from behind, “Let go!”

“Pipe down.”

“I said, let go!” I yell and kick at the guy’s knee. He grunts and grabs for me again, “Shit, I need some help here!” A couple more come over while the rest are dealing with Noiz, mostly getting knocked flat on their backs. I send a couple flying myself. “Master!” Clear cries out as more people pin me down from behind.

“You there.” The guy with glasses points at Clear, “If you want your master to be safe, obey. If you do, then we won’t harm him.”

Clear stops in his tracks, “…Are you telling the truth?”

“Clear, don’t listen!”

“But if I stay obedient, Master and Noiz-san won’t be hurt.”

“Idiot!” I yell and struggle against the grip on me. Noiz is suddenly surrounded and I hear more beating. Clear takes a step until the guy in glasses clicks his tongue. “I said don’t move.”

“You lied!”

“Oh? Isn’t he your Master?” Glasses guy points at me, “I said we won’t harm **him**.”

Clear seems to hesitate but then he runs up to a guy, “Stop this right now!” He yells and punches the guy. In the one hit he flew into the alley wall, bringing everyone’s attention on Clear. Then they all jumped him.

“Well then. I was going to use this on the punk but I guess gas mask guy here has volunteered.” The guy in the glasses steps up to Clear as his buddies restrain him, “First, I guess I’ll take off that shitty mask of yours.”

“No.” Clear states surprisingly firm. The guy in glasses clicks his tongue again, “You really don’t get the situation you guys are in, do you? Hey, hold him down tight.” He reaches for the gas mask and he grabs onto the edge of it. “I said, no!” Clear knees him in the gut. The man slouches back, then spits on Clear with a scowl on his face.

“Motherfucker!” The enraged man grabs Clear’s head and pulls it down to the ground.

“Clear!!” I yell and try to get free as the glasses guy starts to kick Clear mercilessly. The other members do so too, and I can see countless feet kicking into the cowering Clear. “Let go--! Shit, let go of me! Clear!!”

This is completely one-sided…!

“This should be enough. He’ll die if we keep going.” The glasses guy stops kicking with a satisfied look on his face. Then he suddenly adds one more to kick Clear’s face to the side. But Clear firmly grabs onto his legs with both hands. “Clear!” I yell again.

Glasses guy rolls his eyes, “You know, we’re pretty buddy-buddy with Toue-san. He takes care of his privileged class. That’s why he doesn’t complain when we get violent. I feel bad for people who pick a fight with us.” He raises his face and sneers at first at Noiz then back to Clear.

Damn it.

If I’d just kept Noiz from wandering off or listened to Clear sooner, this never would have happened. It’s all my fault…

“This is the end. I’ll even do it so you don’t have to take off your mask yourself.” The glasses guy pulls out a small bottle from his pocket. Inside it is a clear liquid. “Do you know what this is? Sulfuric acid. This’ll be fun.”

That substance…

He turns the bottle over above Clear’s mask. Instantly I hear the sound of something burning and winding black smoke appears.

I’m so terrified… I can’t breathe. My legs shake.

Clear…!

An awful smell rises through the air. Clear twitches and then doesn’t move. He must be in so much pain that he can’t move…

“Clear!! No, Clear! Get up!! Clear!!!” I yell desperately and try to free myself again. I look to Noiz wondering why he isn’t doing something when suddenly Clear speaks calmly, “Yes, Master.” As the smoke rises, Clear abruptly stands up.

“Hey, what’s going on with this guy? What the…”

“Are you done now? Please let go of Master and Noiz-san.” Clear walks in a calm manner towards the man with glasses. The once lively man’s expression pales and he staggers back. “D-don’t come over here! You monster!”

Yet Clear grabs him by the collar of his suit. “You hurt my friends… Apologize.” With that he punched the guy so hard his glasses flew off. “Apologize.” He said again with another punch. Again. And again. He kept telling the man to apologize while punching him and I almost didn’t notice the other guys let us go as they pitifully backed away, tail tucked and trembling.

I was a bit scared myself. What was with Clear suddenly? He was going to kill the guy at this rate!

“Clear… Stop it!”

Clear’s fist stops in mid air and he looks back at me. “But, Master…”

“Enough!”

Just like that, Clear let’s the guy go and he falls to the ground before weakly crawling away. The rest of the guys in suits run off as well, screaming about a monster. The sound of rugged footsteps fade into the distance, and I sink to the ground looking at Clear. “…Clear?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay…?” There are still fumes floating above him. My voice goes hoarse from tension and terror. I don’t even know how much damage Noiz took either but when I glance to him he’s just standing there looking at us questioningly.

One at a time. Clear was in more critical condition from what I could tell. “You… Why are you acting so calm? We need to wash that off with water or… or something…!”

“I’m fine.” Clear states and starts to wag his tail.

“No you’re not! Hurry up and…!”

“I’m fine like this.”

“This isn’t the time to say stuff like that, okay?! Just stop it already…!”

Clear stops wagging his tail, “Is that an order?”

Huh? What is he…

“If that’s not an order, then… I won’t listen!” Clear suddenly runs off.

“Wha-? Hey, wait! Clear!”

What?! Where is he going?!

“Noiz! Come on!”

“Let him go.” Noiz sighs. I’ve had just about enough. I grab his arm again tight and drag him along despite the protest. I don’t understand a single thing. Seriously, what are these two thinking…?! I can’t just ignore sulfuric acid burning up Clear’s face, that’s insane! And I wasn’t about to let Noiz wander somewhere else to get into even more trouble.

Clear is surprisingly fast, and I eventually lose sight of him. “Where did he go…?”

“I don’t know. Now let go.” Noiz tries to tug his arm free but I hold on firmly. “You went and picked a fight for no damn reason! And now Clear…” I stop and from somewhere I hear the sound of water. To my left is a side street, and it seems the sound is coming from there.

A water fountain lies in a large area, surrounded by benches. A round lump sits in front of the fountain.

…I could tell from the back that it was Clear. I felt that if I came up to him too suddenly he’d run away again, so I let go of Noiz—not before giving him a stern look to stay put—and slowly I stepped up to Clear. “…Clear.”

His shoulders twitch. His silver hair is slightly wet. He must’ve dunked his head in the water. “You… is your face okay? Did you wash it? I was worried that…”

“I just washed it. I’m fine now.” Clear answers without turning his face towards me. I lean over and take a close look at him. He still has his gasmask on. “Why won’t you look at me?” When he hesitates to answer I grow even more worried, “Are you really okay? It doesn’t still hurt, does it?”

“No. It does not hurt.”

“Why won’t you take off your mask? If you don’t get all of it, it’ll be bad.”

“I’m fine. I’ll wash the rest later.”

…He’s acting weird. Only washing off a little of the acid isn’t enough. “You aren’t pretending that it doesn’t hurt, right?”

“I am not.”

“Then why don’t you take off your mask and wash off your face?”

He hesitates again, even shrinks slightly away from me and unconsciously I call his name, not wanting him to run again. He stands in silence for a moment longer and then, “I was told that I should never remove my mask.”

I frown, “Who said that?”

“My Grandpa.”

“The… person you lived with before?” Clear nods, “Why did he tell you that you shouldn’t remove your mask?” Clear stays silent. Nothing else sounds in my ears other than the streaming of water in the fountain.

“…Grandpa said I was different from other people.”

“Different?”

“Yes. That my face was different from theirs, so I mustn’t show it. I must look completely different from other people. It’s just like how those people back there called me a monster. I’m abnormal. So… So please, Master. Please don’t look at my face.” Clear completely turned his back on me at this point, “I definitely don’t want you to hate me, so I don’t want to show you.”

I close the distance between me and the now silent Clear, and then place my hand on his shoulder. His entire body jolts. “…I wouldn’t hate you just because of your face.” I tell him softly. He doesn’t move but his head turns slightly, “…Why do you say that? You’ve never seen my face before, Master. So you don’t know if you will come to hate me or not.” Clear’s voice is frail but stubborn. “On what basis can you say that? Even if you’re my master, I can’t. I mustn’t.”

“…It’s true that I’ve never seen your face before.” I grip Clear’s shoulder a bit more firm, “But I’ve been with you all this time now because of what you’re like on the inside, not because of your face. I already know what kind of guy you are without knowing what kind of face you have. That’s why I’d never hate you, no matter what kind of face you got.”

I barely feel a small change in Clear’s shoulders under my hand. “You’re a weird scatterbrain and you do stupid things, but I’ve never hated you. So even if you have a weird face, you’re still the Clear I know, right? I have no reason to hate you.”

Clear shakes his head and turns it just a little. “…Are you being truthful?”

“Yeah.”

“Would you really never hate me no matter how my face looks?”

“Never.”

“…Can I believe you?”

“Yeah.” I look at his face as he finally turns around. I can sort of see his eyes but my attention goes to the damage the mask had taken from the acid. There was a large hole surrounded by smaller holes. I hope none got to his skin…

“Aren’t I your master?” I suddenly ask him.

He slowly nods. “Yes.”

“Then believe in me. It’s sad if you can’t trust your master at a time like this.”

Clear continues to stay silent, lowering his head at first before bringing it back up. “…Alright. I’ll trust you, Master.” His voice shakes even as he says that and he puts his hands to his mask. I can see his fingers trembling against it. “You really won’t come to hate me, right?” He asks weakly and I reassure him again that I won’t. “…I understand.” With a frail voice and a resolved will, Clear slowly takes off the gas mask.


	18. Physiological Reaction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'll admit that these chapters are taking me longer to write because for all the grief I was giving the anime, merging these routes is getting more complicated than I expected. On top of worrying about if I'm even keeping everyone in character or utterly OOC. So expect much bullshitting ahead.
> 
> In brighter news, my OTP should be rather obvious by this point and rating on the story will be going up from here on.

I said we were going to find Koujaku, but I don’t actually have a clue as where to go. For now, I think I’ll just go back to the place where he went with that girl before. I cross the street and see the rectangular building. I don’t see anyone that resembles Koujaku around it though. Maybe he’s inside again. Or he didn’t come here at all. “Where did he go…?” I mumble and glance over my shoulder. I want to hurry and get Clear and Noiz back to Glitter so going inside the club wouldn’t be the best of ideas. But Koujaku hasn’t replied to my message still.

I think about it, staring at the building, and then someone taps on my shoulder.

“Hey, we meet again.” It’s the guy that gave me a card for this place. He smiles with his narrow, fox-like eyes.

“O-oh. Hello again.”

“Did you have fun yesterday?”

“…Yes, sort of.” If you count puking my guts out in public as fun.

“I see. That’s good. What about today? Surely you can use the card I gave you to get in.” He looks past me, “Your friends too.”

“No. I came here for a different reason. I’m looking for someone.”

“Another friend?”

I nod.

“I see. Would you mind me helping?”

Maybe, if Noiz and Clear were back at Glitter. I still haven’t checked on Noiz and Clear had insisted on putting his mask back on despite the holes the acid burnt into it. “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly.”

“Didn’t you come all this way to find him? Just tell me what your friend looks like and I’ll try my best. Though I also have plans, so I can’t be too intensive.”

“No but--”

“If you don’t want to say it, don’t worry. I don’t think it’s unreasonable of you. So don’t put on such a face.” The kitsune chuckled. “But you should be careful. You’re a little too defenseless. If you’re not, something you take for granted will… Chomp! Just might gobble you up, you know?” He made a motion with his hands to emphasize and I felt a tug on my coat.

I jump but then realize it’s just Clear. I didn’t even hear him approach me… Don’t do that.

The smiling man’s face turns serious as he looks at something behind me. What is it? I turn but I just see Clear staring back at the man and Noiz is scowling but I can’t tell at who. When I turn back around, the man goes back to his smiling expression. “Well then. I’ll be going inside now. Good luck on your search.”

“Thank you, very much.”

As if he’s sliding across the ground, the man walks elegantly towards the building. His footsteps aren’t very loud. I guess it’s because of his refined walk. As I stare at the back of the kitsune’s kimono, I think of Koujaku. He would do the opposite and walk in long, intimidating strides. I watch the man walk through the entrance of the club.

When Koujaku told me to never come back here, wasn’t I talking about this guy? When I had started talking about him, Koujaku’s expression changed…

“Aoba.” Ren pokes his head out of my bag.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“It seems that Beni is close to us. I could hear the distinct sound of his wings flapping.”

“Huh?!”

“Ren-san’s right! I thought I heard something before.” Clear suddenly speaks up for the first time since we were standing at that fountain.

“Which means Koujaku is close too. Let’s find them!” Together with Clear, and having to pretty much drag Noiz along, I immediately turn into an alleyway.

***

I looked all around for Koujaku, but still couldn’t find him. We ended up back on Main Street and raindrops start to fall. All of Platinum Jail’s weather is controlled, so a program must be running to make this rain fall. “Let’s get back so we don’t get drenched.” Not that I hate the rain, I just don’t like getting wet.

 

By the time we got back to Glitter, it was a total downpour.

“We got pretty wet.” I groan while slipping off my coat. After making sure Ren didn’t get wet I made Clear go to the bathroom and told him to make sure that he rinses every part of his body. And finally I turn to Noiz and his scowling face. He’d been quiet this whole time other than a scoff or two when I made him follow along so he couldn’t wander off again. “What?” I ask him and his scowl deepens. “That was totally unnecessary. The both of you.”

“Huh?”

“I could’ve won easily if you didn’t go and do that.”

“…Hey, you…” Now’s not the time to start acting like a little brat. I feel a surge of the anger from earlier welling back up. “Excuse me, but getting involved in stupid shit like that is just gonna bite you in the ass in the future. Don’t you at least know that much? Those guys are something completely different. Once you’re their target, they’ll hunt you down. That’s just trouble for us.

“Even if you didn’t know that, what’ll you do if this escalates? It’ll just be harder for us to move around.”

Noiz faces sideways, looking grumpy. Does his silence mean he understood what I meant for once? I think I can see Noiz a little differently now, but then I notice something…

His hand is dyed red…

“Are you injured again? You’re bleeding!” How long was this? Why didn’t he say something?! I reach out but just like before he slaps my hand away. “Don’t touch me.” Noiz gazes at me coldly.

This cat…

He was like this when he burned himself with the coffee too, but why does he hate touch so much? He’s usually indifferent. But he reacts excessively to touching. Is he obsessed with cleanliness? “…Hey, please. Let’s at least stop the bleeding.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’ll bother me if it gets worse. Show me.”

“I said it’s fi--”

I grab his arm, holding tight as he tries to pull away. “Let go.”

“No way.” Ignoring his rejection, I sit him down on the sofa and draw his hand closer to me. If I don’t do this a little forcibly, he’s going to leave the injury untreated again. “If you really hate it, go ahead and hit me.” Noiz seems quite angry, but he looks away and actually behaves himself while I undo the wrap. His injury is worse than I thought. The back of his hand is completely torn. He probably got sliced by a knife or something when he was fighting the yakuza members.

That reminds me… what about the injury from yesterday? I casually look at his fingertips too. A red line runs from his middle finger to his palm, but other than that it doesn’t look too bad.

That’s good…

It’s my fault he was injured, so just knowing the situation makes me relieved.

Hm… I don’t have anything I could use to treat this. “Stay put.” I release Noiz’s hand after giving him a warning and randomly open drawer shelves. Inside one of them is something that looks like a first-aid kit. Had Noiz set this back? Or maybe Clear did.

Inside were plenty of bandages, sterilization sheets, and different sized adhesive band-aids and such. This is enough. I take the first-aid kit and return to Noiz immediately.

Good he hadn’t moved.

When I take his arm, Noiz makes an openly disgusted face. But I ignore it and take a look at the state of his injury. “Aah, looks painful…” I wipe the blood that hadn’t dried with a tissue and feel a bit of pain just from looking at it…

“This might sting a little. Try to bear with it.” It’ll still sting even if I do it carefully but I gently wipe the wound with a sterilization sheet. He doesn’t even flinch and I look at Noiz’s face. There are no signs that he’s going through pain. Is he just enduring it out of pride? Feeling dubious, I put the largest band-aid I could find on the wound. “There, finished.”

Noiz looks at me like an angry child glaring at his parent and withdraws his hand. I’m relieved that we were able to avoid a situation where his injury went untreated. I lean back on the sofa, feeling exhausted. “Don’t be so reckless. It makes me nervous.” I say it with a joking tone on purpose. But I’m actually quite serious about it.

I’d be afraid to see him get really hurt.

Like if those yakuza had used that acid on him instead of Clear’s mask…

“Anyway, we have to start collecting information about Toue…”

“I don’t get you.” Noiz interrupts. “Is this supposed to mean something?” Noiz stretches out his hand which had the band-aid. “Is there some merit to this? To what you did for that gas mask guy?”

“Huh? Merit?” What was he getting at? And before…

_“…So it really is strange.” Clear turned away from me but I gently turned him back while shaking my head, “No. It’s not strange at all.” In fact, this may be coming from another man but I found him beautiful in a way. “Is it good?” Clear suddenly asked. “Is my face… just as good? Is it the same as yours, Master?” Rather than with words, I answered him by raising my hands to his face._

_He instantly flinched. “It’s okay.” I quietly reassured Clear, lightly touching the side of his face. “It’s all there. Your eyes, your nose, your mouth… They’re all the same as mine.” As I talked, I traced the lines of his face with my fingertips; from his bright pink eyes, to the bridge of his nose, to his pale lips. Two moles lightly dot the smooth skin above his chin._

_“I’m… the same?”_

_“We’re the same.” Clear hesitantly brought his hands up to me and touched my face. He slid his fingers around my eyes. When I closed them, his touch slowly ran over my eyelids. His fingertips then slid down the bridge of my nose to my lips. With a deep breath, Clear lightly patted my cheeks and around my chin like a child. “The same… I’m the same as Master.”_

_“I don’t mean that we have the same face. Just that they’re made the same way.”_

_“Master…!” Cleared looked at me with watering eyes, as if he was about to break down crying. “Please tell me again. Tell me I look just like you, Master. Please. Say it again.” He begged and I took hold of his hands, looking him straight in the eyes. “We’re the same. You don’t look weird or strange anywhere. Everything’s the same as mine.”_

_“Really?”_

_“Really.”_

_Clear stared at me for a moment longer before a shaky sigh left him and finally he smiled at me almost crying, “…Thank you, very much.”_

“…Ahh. So there is.” Noiz adds some mockery at the end. “As long as we’re useful it’s enough.”

What the heck is he talking about? Why would he think like this? “…Do you even know what you’re saying?” I ask him.

“You wouldn’t normally do things like this without a purpose. For a total stranger.” Noiz shakes his injured hand. “Like helping others. There’s nothing to gain from it. It’s inefficient and it won’t give you any benefits.”

“So you’re saying I have ulterior motives, and want something from you in return?”

“Am I wrong?”

“You are!” The bottom of my stomach hurts. “You’re wrong. You can want to help people out of worry, or other things like that.”

“I don’t understand. I can’t understand at all.” Noiz looks away but suddenly his eyes widen slightly, “Oh, or maybe…” Noiz violently rips off his hat and gets up to stand in front of me. What, is he going to hit me?

I try to stand up to prepare myself. But…

Noiz’s actions… are far beyond what I’d imagined.

“Something like this?” And he closes the distance, pressing his lips to mine.

NOT AGAIN!

I jerk back, “W-wha, what are you doing?! That’s weird!”

“What is?”

“Kissing me like that!”

“There’s no other purpose to use me other than this.”

Huh?! “Then what is ‘this’?!”

“You were going for me.” He says it so casually.

Seriously. Really. Is he serious? How the heck did he get to that conclusion?!

Right when I stop that train of thought, Noiz brings his face closer again. “Hey, wait a minute, you brat! Wait!”

“Shut up.”

My head is drawn near to him and my lips are stopped by force. “Mmh… Ngh!” I try to push him away with both hands, but he catches my jaw and forcibly opens my mouth. His tongue slips in… and a light numbness runs down my spine. Noiz’s tongue rubs and entwines with my own.

Wait a sec, this is…

Something keeps hitting my teeth, making a ticking noise.

But before I can think anymore about it, I feel something strange in my lower body.

Shit…

His kissing isn’t especially good, but… It’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything like this, and… I’m too much into it.

Noiz pulls back, “…Are you hard?” And he pushes his knee up into my crotch. Him doing that actually makes me react a little bit. “Only because you started doing weird things…!”

“But you got hard from just kissing, right? What are you gonna do about this?” He smirks, “Handle it alone?”

This damn brat! “Ngh, I can’t help it! It’s a physiological reaction!”

“I’ll do it. In return, do mine.”

“Wha?! No, no, no, wait! Stop saying weird things!”

“What?”

“You doing mine, me doing yours… That’s just weird!”

“Listen.” Noiz lets out a tired sigh. “You’re overreacting. We’re both guys, nothing to be ashamed about. Plus, you just said it yourself; it’s a physiological reaction. We’re just talking about getting rid of a physiological reaction, right? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to just do it at the same time?”

“No, no, no, no!!” I don’t understand why and how it would be efficient! Is he one of those “new age” guys? Is this what the younger people are like now? Not to mention, if any of the others were to walk in…!! “A-anyway, I think I’ll have to decline, so let me… Hey, wai…!” Noiz suddenly pulls on my arm and forces me to walk with him.

The destination… Noiz’s room. For sure. “Hey, Noiz!” Noiz brings me back to his room, “…Hey, uwah!” And pushes me on the bed. I fall on my back and a dim shock comes over me.

Without delay, Noiz climbs on the bed, tail flicking and really looking like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. “Wait, wait, wait, wait!” I back away, looking for a way to escape, but my back immediately hits the wall. I’m completely stuck. “You sure are hesitant.” Noiz comments and I retort back, “I wonder why?!”

“No experience?”

“It… It’s not like that!”

“Then it should be fine. If it’s not your first time, let’s do this right. It’s too late and too lame to panic now.” Asshole…

Noiz calmly reaches for my lower body and begins to undo the front of my pants. The rattling noise echoes throughout the room. “Hey, gh…” I hesitated to stop his hands.

…Wait a minute. He said so himself, this is just a treatment for a physiological reaction. I’m the only one who thinks it’s embarrassing; Noiz probably doesn’t feel that way. And I actually got called lame by some younger guy…?

I’m starting to look really awkward, but what should I do about this? Maybe I should just resist this weirdo till the end. Do I not want it because I think it’s too erotic or something? Does it stop being erotic if I start to think that it isn’t?

We’re both guys.

Ugh, I don’t know what’s right anymore… What should I do?

“If you’re scared, I can stop.”

“N-no, I’m not!” I was lost in thought, but Noiz’s words snap me out of it. I’m still irritated by the fact that he’s making me look like an idiot.

If two guy friends were just fooling around… I guess it isn’t that bad…

We’re both guys, so it can’t be that bad… right?

I tighten my jaw and look at Noiz again. Noiz looks me in the eye to check my reaction, then takes my hand and leads it to his lower body. “Finally feeling like it?”

“Don’t say it.”

“Take them off.”

Under his urging, I start to undo Noiz’s belt and buttons. My hands, a little sweaty, lower his zipper. My heart starts to beat loudly, and my face rapidly becomes hotter and hotter. Crap. I’m nervous. But… I have to do it. I put my hand in Noiz’s underwear and take out his dick that was still soft. Looking at his exposed member, something catches my eye.

…He has piercings there?

There are multiple piercings on the tip. And even at the base…

Does he just have piercings all over his body then? I still didn’t think he’d have them… here. As I stared at him, strangely captivated, Noiz takes out my shaft in the same manner. “Nh…” Having someone else’s fingers touching me feels…

“Move your hand.” Noiz immediately starts to stroke my shaft. Is it okay to rub the piercings together…? I try to rub Noiz’s cock gently. “Do it stronger.”

…This asshole keeps talking with a straight face.

I decisively grab Noiz’s cock and pump my hand up and down with more force, the hard surface of the piercings constantly on my palm. Feels kinda weird…

“…Do these piercings hurt?”

“Nope.”

“Even when you got them?”

“Yup.”

“Are you serious…?” Suddenly I remember that ticking sound in my mouth before, “Ah, is your tongue pierced too?”

“This?” Noiz sticks out his tongue and I see a silver ball on it, shining wet with saliva. Shouldn’t it hurt to have your tongue and dick full of holes…?

Overwhelmed, my breathing gradually gets harder because of Noiz’s stimulation; maybe because it’s been so long, but I feel super sensitive… “…Nh, uhn…”

“…Would you want a piercing too?” Noiz whispers low in my ear while stroking my stiff dick. Just hearing him makes my heart jump a little. “…No way.”

“Why?”

“It seems painful… Plus I’ve never really thought about it.”

“Should I do it for you?” Noiz licks my ear. It feels ticklish with the piercing on his tongue… “Your ears are pretty sensitive. If that’s the case, it might hurt to get them pierced.”

“Nh, n, ah…”

As he speaks to me, breathing in my ear, Noiz starts to put more power to his strokes. The liquid dripping from the tip helps the movement, and a sweet numbness spreads from my waist throughout my whole body.

“You too, do it right.”

I try to hold back my voice, and I start to move my hand again. But… Noiz is only a little hard, and he hasn’t had any further reaction for a while now. I check his facial expression but he seems completely normal. Am I just extraordinarily bad at this…?

“Not quite feeling it?”

“Mmn.” Letting out a voice I almost can’t hear, Noiz silently continues to stroke my cock. I try to move my hand harder too, but I keep getting distracted. “A, unn… Haa, ah… un… wa-it…” I’m close…

But his face reflected in my view remains calm, and I’m seized by a strange, sudden worry. It might be weird to say now, but… This is so embarrassing. I, the older one, am the one getting worked up over this, and he’s just sitting there like nothing’s happening. At this rate, it’ll look like I have some kind of premature ejaculation problem…

“Haa, stop… uah, I’m gonna, ah… your hand…” Get your hand off. That’s what I wanted to say, but…

“…Go ahead.”

“…Gu… ah, ha, ah, ah… Mn!!” In the end, I climax while holding Noiz’s hand that I failed to pull away. My body trembles, and the semen I just released drips from Noiz’s fingers. Out of breath, I take a sidelong glance at Noiz. Honestly… it felt good.

But me alone…?

While I linger in self-hatred and regret, Noiz raises his soaked hand. “You sure came a lot.”

“Shut up… Wipe it off already.” I started to get up to go get a tissue, but Noiz suddenly brought his hand to his mouth. No way…

“Bitter…” With an extremely casual expression, Noiz licks his semen covered fingers. My semen. I-I’ve said many times that he has no shame… But… He licked it…

And he hasn’t even showed signs of being very aroused at all.

…That’s not fine at all.

Since we’ve come this far, I have to do it too. If my hand’s no good…

I lifted my body up, got on all fours, and fell to Noiz’s feet. “What?”

“Just let me do this.” I crawl my way between his legs. Noiz’s cock is still quite limp…

Noiz throws me a questioning look when I lean over his crotch. I support his cock with one hand and bring my face closer to it. Lightly licking at the tip, I gradually open my mouth and take it in. Noiz is larger than he looks, and my mouth is filled immediately.

I hear the faint sound of him exhaling. Maybe, he… I slowly move my head up and down, rubbing him against the walls of my mouth. This is my first time doing this. But now, more than hesitation or embarrassment, I feel a desire to make Noiz come.

If I lick here with my tongue, and move my hand like this…

Because we both have dicks, I somewhat know what to do even if this is my first time. But when his piercings touch my tongue, it feels kinda strange…

I have a feeling I heard a moan and look up at Noiz. He had closed his eyes at some point. My heart jumps a little at the sight.

The guy who was saying cocky things a while ago is now feeling good because of what I’m doing. I think I’m almost thrilled here. I want to… see more from Noiz. With such a desire emerging in me, I naturally focus on the act.

I focus on teasing the places that I thought felt good, and keep prying the slit of the tip while stroking the base of his cock and sack with my hand. Even when his piercings touch my teeth with a clicking sound, I’m not bothered at all. Noiz’s breathing intervals become shorter and my head is suddenly given a strong push.

When I look up, Noiz stares at me as if he wants to say something. “…What?”

“…A little stronger.”

“Stronger…?” I try to squeeze my hand with more power and check his reaction. “Like this?”

“No, more…”

How much more could I possibly…

“…Bite it.”

What did he say just now?

Noiz presses down on my head and urges me to continue. I take Noiz in my mouth again, slightly confused.

Bite… Actually bite? With teeth? Won’t it hurt? But he really said to bite, didn’t he…

I fearfully and gently tried to apply my teeth on the tip. When I feel my teeth sink in, it scares me a bit. It hurts to just imagine the same being done to me.

“…Hurry.” He urges me on.

I can only prepare myself for the worst here.

He’s got piercings all over his body, so it’s fine… isn’t it? It’s fine… maybe.

I close my eyes and bite down on Noiz’s shaft with my back teeth. The feeling was indescribable. Does it hurt? Is he fine? He’s not bleeding right?

I nervously look up at Noiz.

Noiz had closed his eyes, with an expression that I would call ecstacy.

…Are you serious? He’s enjoying it? It’s strangely uplifting… I think. My heart starts to run like crazy. Convincing myself that it’s fine, I take Noiz in my mouth again and rest my teeth on the tip of his cock. I bite strongly but cautiously, nibbling, and try pulling on the piercings with my teeth.

While doing that, I put my nails against his shaft like I’m scratching it, and squeeze it tightly in my palm. When gasps leak from Noiz’s mouth, the depths of my body tingle ever so faintly. I’m profusely happy that I’m able to make him feel good. I intently caress Noiz’s shaft with both my mouth and hand.

Noiz, who has his eyes closed, knits his eyebrows and slightly moves his hips. The fluids filling my mouth are not only saliva, but Noiz’s precum too. When I did it by hand a while ago he wasn’t reacting, but now he properly is.

Noiz has become considerably big, and is almost unavoidably touching the back of my throat.

Despite that, I ignore my discomfort and continue earnestly because I want him to come. I sip the bitter fluid and continue to bite down on Noiz’s cock, when suddenly he holds his breath. Noiz’s body shakes greatly, his cock pulsing in my mouth…

And soon enough, my mouth is filled with a lukewarm liquid.

Just before the semen can spill from my mouth, I involuntarily swallow it and when I separate my lips, the leftovers that I couldn’t swallow drips down my chin.

Noiz, who’s face is faintly flushed, looks at me, breathing roughly. Maybe it’s because he just came, but he doesn’t have that usual tough guy look to him anymore. It might even be a little cute.

Thinking of how he’s now like this because of what I did, I feel a strange sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

“…Wipe that off.”

“Uh… yeah.”

Noiz pulls out several sheets of tissue that had been placed on the headboard and holds them out. I take them and wipe the cum dripping from my chin.

I was biting him quite a bit… Is he bleeding?

I glance at Noiz’s dick.

There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. What a relief.

“…I was wondering. Do you like pain?”

“…Not really.” Noiz suddenly averts his gaze.

Oh, well… Each person has their own preferences I suppose. I don’t really feel a need to press the matter, and while I’m a bit surprised, it’s not like I mind.

That said…

The heat cools down, and many questions that I hadn’t thought about until now suddenly poke at me. Like, even though I just went with the flow of the situation, when I really think about it, I did something unbelievable.

Like it was a bad joke, or a nasty game…

But Noiz was totally honest the whole time. I think that part of him is a little bit cute after all.

“Masterrrrr?”

…Oh no.

I hear footsteps on the stairs and coming toward the door.

No, no, no!!

I scramble to straighten out my clothing.

Don’t open the—

“Master, you in here?” The door opens.

Maybe it was a bit dramatic on my end but my body lurches back and before I know it, my back hits the ground with only my legs left on the bed. I hear the footsteps approach until a face is hanging over me.

Only this face…

Was a fair skinned… and round… woman’s face?

“Wouah!”

“Hrm? What was Master and Noiz-san doing in here?”

“C-clear! What are you wearing?!”

“Ah! My new face! Ta-da!” Clear throws his arms up, it looks weird from down here. Though at the same time, some of my anxiety gets replaced with a hint of disappointment. I thought maybe after that talk at the fountain… Does he really not want people to see his face after all? “Master?” Clear tilts his head and I hear a shuffle from the bed before Noiz stands up. “…I’ll go take a shower.” He glances back at me, “What about you?”

“Ah… I’ll go after you.”

“Wanna go in together?”

“Well, uh…”

“Huh?! I wanna bathe with Master too!” Clear flails his arms, reminding me he was standing right there. Ahhh, if he had come by sooner…

“Just kidding.” Saying that with an indifferent expression as usual, Noiz leaves the room.

…We didn’t really do anything bad, so why do I feel so guilty about it? I get up, leave the room, and head to the bar counter. After I rinse my mouth at the sink, I plop down onto the sofa.

I can hear the sound of the shower downstairs.

“Master? Is everything alright?” Clear asks as he sits beside me. I nod but, is it really? “Was it something Noiz-san did?” I feel my face get hot. Now that I think about it, I don’t actually know how long Clear was in the shower.

Did he… Did he hear any of that…?

I look to him but I’m met with the face of a woman. Oh, right. “Clear, you know--”

“Yes?”

“…Ah, well, uhm. Sorry. About earlier.”

“For what?”

I cast my eyes down and lean forward. “Remember how you told me to just keep running when we were looking for Noiz and then running from those yakuza? If I’d just listened, we wouldn’t have had to go through that. So, I’m really sorry.”

Clear starts to shake his head and reaches over, patting my shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about that. Please don’t apologize. It’s all right as long as you aren’t hurt, Master.”

“Clear…” His priorities are a little off, but… he’s so innocent. He’s always sincere in what he says. I was thinking that even when he revealed his face to me at the fountain. His real face… Where did he get this new mask anyway? Did he always have it as a back up? “…Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“So you really don’t want to show anyone your face?”

Clear suddenly becomes restless and I quickly sit up straight, “I won’t try to push you to do anything you really don’t want to… but I want to see your face again. Can I?”

Clear stays silent for some time, but then speaks. “I guess I need to have more courage than this.” After he says that, Clear puts his hands onto his knees and lowers his head. “I believe in you, Master, and I was truly happy for what you said to me as well. But I must say that the fear and anxiety from showing you my face is something I can’t get rid of… I always believed that I should never show my face to anyone. But I will show you. So please… please, look at my face.” In an earnest tone, Clear grabs the edges of this new mask and eventually, I can see under the mask…

This time, I see the same troubled face I saw before.

“Um…” Clear raises his head and looks at me with worried eyes. I make a small grin and petted Clear’s hair like I would a small animal, right between the ears. “I already told you, it’s fine. I won’t ever hate you.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“…Thank goodness.” Clear shows a smile full of relief. “Master.”

“Hm?”

“I have something to ask you, is that all right?” Clear straightens himself out and looks at me with serious eyes. But before he can ask it, I hear a door open.


	19. Ryuuhou

…Koujaku

He’s coming up the stairs.

I want to say something, but I swallow my words instead. It must still be raining outside. He’s drenched from head to toe. His expression is dark and shows a hint of restlessness. “Ah…” I turn back to Clear. He’s already thrown the woman’s mask back on. I should probably explain…

But Koujaku has such a gloomy air around him. It can’t really be just about Clear’s new mask right? Something big must’ve happened. As he approaches, I can hear the sound of water dripping.

I stand up, nervous, and wait for Koujaku.

He stops right in front of me. Why does he have such an intimidating attitude? It’s hard for me to speak. “…You’re soaking wet.” I try to speak in my usual tone, but it comes out awkwardly, “You’ll catch a cold. Here let’s--” He grabs the arm I stretch out to him. His grip throws me off balance and I fall to my knees. I raise my head, flustered and when I do… I look into Koujaku’s dark, looming eyes. Water drips down strands of his hair, and some of it runs down his cheeks to his chin.

“Koujaku-san?” I hear Clear stand up, his tone not so much questioning as it was wary. “Clear it’s alright.” Not that this image was really convincing but I don’t want him to start something.

“…Why did you do that?” Koujaku asks lowly.

“Huh?”

“What did you say to him?”

“Him? Hey!” Suddenly, Koujaku takes hold of my shoulders and violently throws his weight onto me. I try to move away but I fall back with Koujaku over me. “Master! Koujaku-san, please stop!” As Clear came closer, Koujaku sat up glaring. “Clear! Just stay back!” I yell at him. Something’s wrong… As I try to sit up, Koujaku settles over me again, pinning me down. “You’re hea… Hey, Koujaku…!”

“You talked with him…”

Him? Clear? Why is he so mad about Clear? “Koujaku…?”

“With him…”

“Him?”

Koujaku’s eyes… I can’t tell where he’s looking.

“Koujaku, hey… Are you okay?” Koujaku pushes his face down into my neck. At that instant, a spark of pain courses through my body. “Ouch!” What…?! Did he just bite my neck?!

Right after, a wet but warm feeling creeps up in the same area. “Wh-What are you doing?!” The bite stings, but he keeps licking it. “Koujaku-san!” I didn’t see Clear move until it was too late to stop him from grabbing the back of Koujaku’s kimono.

In reaction, Koujaku bites down harder on my neck and I swear I heard growling as he raised an arm to jerk his elbow back at Clear. Clear hardly budged but the more he tried to pull Koujaku off, the more he held onto me. “Ow! Clear stop!”

“M-master--”

“Just stay back!” I yell, waving at Clear to get away before Koujaku grabs my hand and slams it down on the floor. He was licking at my neck again. “Koujaku…! Stop it…!” I try to squirm out of his grip, but he holds me down still, licking my neck with his teeth bared.

Why…?

What’s going on…?

“Hey…!”

Koujaku lifts up my shirt in a rush. Why is this happening? What are you doing, Koujaku…?!

Koujaku keeps licking, and moves up to my ear. “Koujaku…! Hey, what the hell are you thinking?! I said stop it!” I try to put up a fight. As if to warn me to stop now, Koujaku pushes me down even harder. He bites my wrist, and I flush white because of how powerful he is against me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Clear shaking but staying put as I told him.

I don’t want him to get near Koujaku while he’s acting like this. Something is really wrong! But at this rate… I won’t be able to get out of this by myself.

Koujaku…

I look at him, he isn’t listening to anything I say. Did something… happen to him? He looks like Koujaku on the outside, but it’s like he’s a different person inside. My body goes cold when I realize that.

What do I do?!

Koujaku lets out a groan, putting his hands up my already half-rolled up shirt. “Hey!” He runs his rough palms over my skin and rubs my chest. Soon a cold sweat runs down my body with Koujaku’s palms on my skin. “Get—off…! What the hell are you… Ouch!” He bites me again and both against my neck and ear, I can feel his hot breath panting. “Koujaku… Koujaku!!!”

Koujaku holds back my attempts to break free with his terrifying strength, and licks all over my ear. I try to frantically turn my head away, but feel something awful in the lower half of my body. Koujaku got his hand into my pants, and then my underwear, and he holds my cock with a strong grip.

Why?!! First Noiz and now Koujaku?!

“Idi—ot… Let go, stop it…!” I’m completely caught, frazzled, and try my hardest to get away. But Koujaku refuses to let go. I’m almost desperate for Clear’s help but I don’t want him caught up in this… I don’t want him to watch…

Why did it have to come to this? And even with… Koujaku?

What that man in the blue kimono said to me comes to mind.

Why…?

Why is this happening…?

What’s wrong with Koujaku? I don’t know. I don’t understand. I honestly…

Don’t know anything about Koujaku…

A sharp pain suddenly rushes to my head.

_Destroy._

A violent headache rushes in, and I hear someone’s voice.

_Quickly. Destroy._

…I don’t want to.

_Destroy him._

No. Never. “…Ah?!” Koujaku starts to violently jack me off. It’s completely mortifying. Clear suddenly runs down the stairs. Where’s he going?! No… No come back…!

No more…

No more of this…

“No, stop it…!”

I don’t want to destroy anything. But, I… If this keeps going on… But I don’t want to. I don’t want this. Stop…

_Destroy. Destroy him._

Stop it!

_“…Stop it, Koujaku!!”_ I muster enough strength to scream, and for some reason Koujaku finally stops. I focus on Koujaku’s eyes as he seems to recognize me. Koujaku looks down to me, and becomes startled when he sees the state I’m in. His mouth just opens and closes, as if he’s trying to spit words out.

I raise my now free right hand up and punch Koujaku. I’m taken aback just from hitting him. But I stop myself from apologizing. My right hand shivers from the hit, so I clutch onto it with my other one. I was about to explode, and my body just…

Koujaku…

Why did you do that…?

A number of questions swirl in my head, but none of them come out. I look at Koujaku for some answer. Whatever is fine. I just want to hear him say something. Just say something.

…But.

Koujaku pushes his lips together, and doesn’t say anything. The cheek I hit slowly turns red. The unwanted silence just piles up. “…Why… Why?” I start to tremble, about to cry. “…Why aren’t you saying anything?!” The sadness keeps pooling up inside of me. No matter what I do, I can’t get through to him. I can’t understand. I’m unable to.

I hear footsteps on the stairs and then see Clear and Noiz both show up. So… That’s where he went. To get Noiz… I can’t read his expression at seeing this. It just looks indifferent as usual.

Koujaku makes an awful frown and closes his eyes; he then gets up and slowly turns his back to me. And like that, he simply leaves to one of the rooms without a word. When the door closes… it finally feels as if time starts to move again. “Master!” Clear takes the chance to rush over to me.

As if I had just been suffocating, my shoulders shake and I take frantic breaths. I let out a shuddering breath, letting Clear help me up on the couch and I stretch out on it.

Noiz just quietly enters the room we were in before.

My head still hurts. I close my eyes and the pain pulses. My head feels like it’s in a blender. The strain and terror lingers. Koujaku… That wasn’t the real him. He took it out on me and did that on impulse. I can still… feel the bites on my neck, the licking of my ear, the touches on my…

I curl my legs up and turn to face the back of the couch.

That was a different person, not Koujaku. He came back to his senses when I screamed. And Noiz… He was going on before that I was coming onto him. How could he get an impression like that?

And that voice before… Was that… the power of Scrap? That’s why Koujaku came to? Grams did say that my power pulled people in; that I can enter their minds and make them do as I wish. And depending on how it’s used… I have the power to destroy a person’s mind. Did that power just save me? What if I didn’t bring Koujaku back… What would’ve happened?

Fear and dread slither through my body. It was terrifying. Koujaku wasn’t himself, but… I was terrified of destroying our relationship. But what should I do now? How would I act around Koujaku now?

Am I telling myself that even if he went through with that, we’d still be the same?

Of course that wouldn’t work out. It would’ve crumbled right there too.

Koujaku and I…

We can’t go back to how we used to be anymore.

…I don’t want that.

Even after that, I still don’t hate Koujaku. It was just so shockingly scary. But what hurts the most… is that I don’t know why Koujaku did that. He still won’t tell me anything. I’m just sitting here watching again…

…If I know the person very well, I can insert my will into their consciousness. Granny told me that I was able to do that as well. If that’s true, I could strongly wish for Koujaku to tell me more about him.

But… I don’t want to use my power like that.

_Destroy. Destroy him._

Someone’s voice reverberates in my still pounding head. It’s as if it’s blowing away my consciousness. It feels like something is dragging my feet into a bottomless swamp.

I… What should I do?

“Is there anything I can do, Master?” Clear’s voice trembled. When I look up I see Clear’s face again, he had removed the mask. Concern, fear, anger, his expression can’t seem to settle on a single emotion. I’m glad he listened to me but it must not have been easy…

I just want a distraction.

“Aoba.”

When I look down, I see a ball of blue fur wagging its tail. “…Ren.”

“Aoba, are you okay?”

“…Yeah.” I sit up and pick up Ren. I feel the usual sensation of his fur, and cover my face with it. My arms still hurt from when Koujaku was holding them down.

“Aoba?” Ren shifts in my hands. “…I’m okay.” I mutter that more to myself and put Ren back down on the ground.

…I’m fine. I’m fine.

I recite that in my head because I feel like I’ll fall down if I don’t.

I fix my clothes back to normal, pick up Ren, and then walk down to the first floor.

“Ah, Mas--”

“Shh.” I press a finger to my lips. “Just stay here Clear, I’ll be right back.” I pick up my bag sitting on the sofa and place Ren inside of it. Clear stands at the top of the steps squirming in place so, unable to help it, I go back up to pet him on the head to reassure him.

“Are you going out?” Asks Ren when I get back on the first floor. “Yeah. I… I could use some fresh air.”

“I see.” I pet Ren’s head and leave through the entryway. Rain is still falling. But it seems much lighter than before. I breathe in some open air and feel just a bit of my anxiety wash away.

Without an umbrella, I walk around the streets.

Even with the rain, people still enjoy themselves and the glittering illuminations from decorations while walking down the wet streets. I’m a bit nervous out here, so I walk on the edge of the street. The rain is light, but the feeling of my hair being drenched is an unpleasant one. Even so, right now I don’t have the energy or motivation to do anything about it.

Without thinking about anything, I just keep on walking. I eventually end up in front of the club.

I don’t have any desire to go in, but I lean on a wall near it. The wall is freezing cold and completely wet. Just being outside makes it feel like that incident was just a dream. But it wasn’t.

…I wonder if the old Koujaku will ever come back. Even if he did, would he help me as far as to get to Toue? I wonder about it, and then suddenly hear the sound of water splashing.

“You’re soaked.”

When I turn around, I see the kitsune in the blue kimono again. He smiles and comes towards me, offering his umbrella. “I know it’s simply raining, but what’s wrong? Do you enjoy being in the rain? What an awful look.” He grins and tilts his head. “Has something happened?”

It was just as he said before…

The man lets out a weak sigh at my silence. “I guess you don’t want to tell. And that’s why you’re standing around here. But you’ll catch a cold, you know? You should go home.” He looks up to the rain, and then his gaze returns back to me. “Aren’t you going to go home?”

“…I don’t want to go back.”

“Oh dear.” The man suggestively squints his eyes and smiles. “You’d be a heartbreaker if you said that as a girl. It’s not good to stay out here, so why don’t we go get a warm drink?”

“Huh? But--”

“It’s right over there.” He jerks his chin to the building. “I’m acquaintances with the owner of that club. I can get us a private room. I also don’t actually live in Platinum Jail.” He says that while shrugging his shoulders.

So he’s inviting me to a room.

…What should I do?

Following him sounds fine; Even though I don’t know his name. Why would he do all of this for me anyway? It seems so strange. But my thoughts flicker between going and not going with him anyway.

Koujaku told me not to come close to here. And he reacted badly when I told him about this kitsune before. Wait… Was that what earlier was about too?

Then, could this man… Does Koujaku know something about him?

It may have just been a coincidence, and the man starts pushing on my back, as if to encourage me to follow his suggestion. “What do you want to do?” He asks.

I… give a small nod.

“You must come.” The man gives another grin and holds onto my shoulder. “Come closer so you don’t get wet. Ah, would you mind telling me your name?”

“…Aoba.”

“Aoba-kun, what a nice name. Mine is Ryuuhou.”

“Ryuuhou…?”

“Yes. Nice to meet you.” Ryuuhou’s smile fades, and he starts to pull me along with him. Is this really a good idea? I listen to the sounds of raindrops falling overhead on the umbrella as we walk.

 

“Go ahead.”

“…Thanks.”

There are white teacups placed on top of a black table. In the cups are a light, brown liquid with an assortment of flower petals; they’re floating in the water and emit an amazingly fragrant scent.

“Isn’t it nice? I specially placed an order for these, you can’t buy them in Japan.”

I take one sip, and the fragrance floats up to my nose. The flower petals swing around in a lovely sort of way. “…It’s good.”

“That’s good to hear.” Ryuuhou sits down across the table from me. I watch his ever constant smile, and then turn my eyes away.

Apparently while the bar and dance floor  is on the first floor, there’s a tattoo parlor and dressing rooms on the second floor, and a staff room on the third. Ryuuhou’s room was on the third floor, and it felt as if there was no one who quite compared to him. The room had a Japanese style, but the furniture was European so it was a mix of cultures. I found my eyes wandering to various papers of tattoo designs around the room.

 “Are those pictures…?”

“Yes, I’m a tattoo artist.”

So that’s why it smells a bit like ink in here. It kind of reminds me of looking at all the designs in Mizuki’s shop. He was a tattoo artist too…

I feel a faint pain in my chest and take my eyes away. But looking back I take notice in a particular one. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.

“Aoba-kun, do you have an interest in tattoos?”

“Eh? Uh, sort of…” I wave my hands dismissively, “But not enough to actually get one.”

“You seemed a bit enthusiastic. If you have any requests, I’d be happy to do them for you.” Ryuuhou chuckles.

“Oh no, that’d be… Actually--” I look away from his smiling face. “Why would you go so far to… why are you being so kind to me?” I ask what I’ve been thinking about non-stop for a while now. Huh, which is ironic, because Noiz was asking me this exact thing before.

Ryuuhou looks to the ceiling, thinking to himself. “I had some interest in you at the first glance. Or in simple terms, love at first sight, I guess you could say.”

I feel my jaw set and Ryuuhou laughs, “I mean that as a joke.” He smiles at my reaction as he grips his teacup. “You must think that’s a suspicious thing to say. To be frank, I felt that you were different from others.” There’s a sudden air around Ryuuhou that puts me on edge as he keeps talking, “That I didn’t mean as a joke.” He looks me in the eyes, “When I saw you, I felt that you had some sort of power… you were overflowing with vitality.”

“…Okay.” Somehow the conversation topic has turned to a mystical mumbo-jumbo direction. But Ryuuhou speaks with a serious expression. “I felt a force from you. And not just one. Reason, protection… destruction. There’s a mixture of those separate purposes within you.”

…Destruction. The urge to destroy. Grams said the same thing about my power.

Just as Koujaku said, this guy…

Ryuuhou looks into my eyes and his smile has faded away. I cast my gaze down, feeling uneasy, and then put my teacup to my mouth. The lukewarm tea goes down my throat, and I start to calm down.

“Was I right? But I don’t want you to misunderstand; I’m not trying to delve too deep into you. That would be unrefined. Rather than a rose-colored over-simplified concept, I’d have it be difficult and extremely complex. Just like for tattoos.” Ryuuhou moves to his decorations on the walls, and touches his design sketches lovingly. “They may only look like rough drafts, but all of these have been made with precise calculations in mind. I get absorbed when I do tattoos; Gliding down the skin, distorting, circling, extending, blurring, and even the variation in colors. Skin is a rugged thing. Wouldn’t you understand if you’ve seen blood run down it? When something unexpected occurs as well, there’s no part of a person that can’t warp.

“That’s why, when I add ink, I feel like I’m adding life to them through that piercing needle. I give even more texture to their skin. And it must be a respectable work.” He talks about it with a loving tone, and his gaze turns back on me.

After hearing him say that, I feel even more disturbed as I’ve seen some of his true colors show. I always thought his smile was just part of an act…

But when he spoke about tattooing, his expression made him seem like an entirely different person. He has a strange attachment to tattoos. And that was likely Ryuuhou’s real face. This wasn’t a normal conversation. But he seemed very happy when he spoke about it. Ryuuhou’s eyes… How do they look at people?

…My eyelids suddenly feel heavy. My eyesight goes blurry.

“I have genuine interest in you.” Ryuuhou’s words swell and mix together in my ears. My eyes close.

“Your individual purposes conflict with each other inside of you, and eventually all that’s holding you together will be unfastened. That’s the fate you’re burdened with. There’s no option for coexistence.”

My fate… I’m soon unable to lift my eyelids, and my thoughts are drowned out by drowsiness… I see. That tea…

“I bet my life on tattoos, and now you. If I put the two together, I wonder what it would give birth to… Interesting.”

By the time I realize it… it’s already too late. Unable to fight it off, my consciousness slips.

 

I can hear a faint sound.

I open my eyes, and feel a slight pain in my head. This is… The same place, Ryuuhou’s room. Only now I was lying down on a futon.

An oil lamp floats back and forth, and a moving shadow sways as if it’s alive.

“So you’re awake?”

I try to turn my head to the sound of Ryuuhou’s voice, but I can’t move. My body is numbingly heavy. The tea must’ve been laced. Damn it…

“You still can’t move, can you? You shouldn’t try. You’ll hurt yourself, and even bite your tongue if you try to talk.” Ryuuhou’s tone was always polite up until now. I get an unpleasant feeling, like a ceremony of a sort is about to start. I hear the sound of a small metal clashing together and smell a mix of ink and antiseptic…

“Wh…at?”

“You shouldn’t talk.”

“What—are—doing…?”

“Well. In short, I’m furthering my research. It hurts to call it research though, tattoos are my everything, after all. If I scatter my flower petals onto your back, I wonder how the flowers will react. Perhaps they will bloom through your life force. I want to see.”

I feel something cold on my back and realize that my shirt is completely rolled up. Was that Ryuuhou’s hand? It was cold as ice. He sticks something like a thin rod out in front of me. “See? This will penetrate your skin, and ink will soak through all of it.”

A brush?

…No.

A fine pointed needle. Going onto my skin. Coming to the realization of what’s about to happen, I break out in a cold sweat. I need to escape… But my body won’t move.

“It’s no use, you’ll just make it hurt more.”

I try to get up, and I’m sure to have a look on my face as if begging for mercy. Ryuuhou stands up. “I need to get some different tools. Just hold on for a bit.” I hear the sound of slow walking over the tatami mat, and then the sound of the door opening and closing. “Shit…” I have to take this chance to…!

I put all my strength into arms and feet to try to get up. But I lose it almost right away. My mouth is also painfully dried up. Right now is the time to get away but…

While trying to squirm away, I hear the door open. Is Ryuuhou back? I hear something pad onto the tatami mat, and then something lightly touches my naked back. “Aoba!”

“Ren?!” A little lump of blue fur stands in front of me, and licks my face. “Ren, why were you here?”

“I slipped out of your bag on the way and went to get someone to save you.”

“Save me? Who…”

“Aoba…!”

“Masterrrr!”

“Koujaku… Clear?!” I try to move my head again but I still can’t. But I can hear and sense them crouching beside me. “It was a difficult task getting back without Tori’s help.”

Before I can ask who that is, someone crouches behind Ren and I quickly realize it’s Noiz. “Hmph, for all that talk earlier, you’re stupid enough to get yourself in this.”

“Shut it brat! Aoba, are you okay?” Koujaku leans over me and looks at my face. What happened at Glitter passes through my head for a moment. But it left as soon as I saw the worrying look on Koujaku’s face. “I’m sorry, Master. It was irresponsible letting you go out alone!” Clear whines from behind his mask while bowing his head.

“Damn right! Can you move?” Koujaku pulls down my shirt.

“I can’t get up. He slipped me something…”

“Just wait a second.” With that, Koujaku puts my arms on his shoulders. Holding onto my waist, he slowly raises me up. I at least somehow manage to sit in an upright position on the futon. I feel like I’m going to fall over because my limbs are still numb, and breathing is still difficult. “Does it hurt?” Koujaku asks.

“I’m fine…”

“This room…” Koujaku looks around the room with a disgusted look on his face. When he sees the tattoo designs and the tools lying next to the futon, his eyebrows furrow. “Don’t be wasting time.” A gruff voice comes from further away.

Mink?! So he…

He wasn’t captured after all. But then where’s he been all this time?

I notice that Koujaku is quiet, but still most certainly angry. “…Damn, this room is disgusting. Let’s get out of here.” Koujaku’s stiff expression loosens and he pulls me up with my arms around his shoulders. At that moment…

Another door opens. “Oh my.” Ryuuhou pauses and stares at us all. “A burglar came while the head of the house was out? That’s quite impressive.”

“…Motherfucker.” Koujaku looks at Ryuuhou with an intense scowl and stands up. I would have fallen over if Clear hadn’t caught me. The room is filled with a bizarre air of hostility surrounding Koujaku. “I’ve finally found you.”

What’s going on?

Ryuuhou puts his fingers to his mouth, looking to be in thought. “Sorry to be rude, but who are you? Though you all seem to be acquaintances of Aoba-kun’s.”

“Don’t play dumb. Don’t you fucking say you forgot! It’s your fault I…”

“My fault?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot.” Koujaku pulls back the long hair that hangs over his eye. It’s always hidden the right side of his face, but now exposed and even illuminated by the light of the oil lamp… there was… a tattoo. So his back and face both? When Koujaku shows his tattoo, Ryuuhou’s face warps and his eyes light up as he grins. “…I was just pretending of course. There’s no way I’d ever forget your tattoos, Koujaku. When I drew on your skin devoid of such scars, I was never able to complete… my greatest work.”

“Shut the hell up. What were you doing to Aoba?” Koujaku snaps at him.

“I didn’t do anything. Not yet. You came at the worst possible time to interrupt me.” Ryuuhou let’s out an over exaggerated sigh but then smiles again, “I noticed that you came into Platinum Jail. Weren’t you here on the dance floor two days ago? I saw you. But I didn’t call out to you. There wouldn’t be any meaning in you trying to chase me down then.”

“Bastard…” Koujaku sounds uncontrollably angry compared to Ryuuhou, who’s been calm and arguably enjoying this whole time.

The tattoos on Koujaku’s face and back. Were those… from Ryuuhou?

“To not be warped is to be straight and smooth. Those sorts of things can also be said to be pure, and easy to completely distort. There’s no fighting it. In which way would I have to use the needle, how would I be able to get your steadfast and honest heart to twist to it? I wanted to see that, and put my entire body and soul to your work. But it’s still not enough for me, even now.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Ryuuhou laughs at Koujaku. “Did you forget my warning? I’m pretty sure I told you to be careful back then. Are you sure your rage isn’t just your way of showing your love to me?”

“Sick creep.” Mumbles Noiz.

“But, you really did come to find me.” Ryuuhou ignores if he even heard it at all, “I’m flattered by your persistence. Amazed, really.” While Ryuuhou speaks, he takes a step back.

“Bastard…! Trying to run?!” Koujaku growls and takes a step toward Ryuuhou, his shoulders tense up like the moment the kitsune tries to flee he’ll pounce.

“I guess I haven’t gone mad. I want to see it with my own eyes at last. You can be as angry as you want with me. We both are preparing ourselves for what’s next.”

“Ryuuhou!” Koujaku yells but Ryuuhou nimbly turns away and leaves the room. “Wait!!” Koujaku starts to go after him, I quickly grab onto the hem of his kimono. He can’t chase after him now. I don’t know why, but I know he can’t. “—Let go!!”

“I won’t…!”

“Ryuuhou!!” The vibration of Koujaku’s roar goes through my stomach, and I shake it off. “Koujaku…!” I frantically try to keep a hold on his arm. Then suddenly Clear grabs onto Koujaku too. And Noiz. This just makes Koujaku’s struggle more frantic but at least now he can’t budge. “Let go… Let go of me!”

“No!” I yell at him. Koujaku’s lost control in a blind rage. I need to stop him somehow…! My head…

Shit, not now…! My head hurts…

But I have to stop Koujaku…

I suck in a deep breath, _“Koujaku, calm down!”_ Bearing with the pain enough to let out a yell, and Koujaku comes to a complete halt. “…Aoba.” Koujaku turns around, his tattoo showing, and his anger fades. I feel relieved and put my hands back down on the futon. Koujaku and Clear rush to me, holding me up. I notice Noiz is staring at me though. Actually… Looking finally over to Mink, he was just watching this too and I can’t tell what he’s thinking as he turns away, staring toward the door.

“Are you okay?” Koujaku asks. “…How about you?” I ask in return.

“I’m…” Koujaku pauses, and turns his gaze elsewhere. Why does Koujaku hate Ryuuhou so much? For the tattoos? Why would he lose himself over it? I try to put the two together… but I can’t.

I don’t even know how or why it came to that.

Koujaku is silent, but then shakes his head and looks at me. “…First, I have to apologize to you. I’m sorry. And earlier I… for what I did then, too.”

“We can be doing this elsewhere. Let’s go.” Mink states. Koujaku scowls briefly in his direction then stares in the direction Ryuuhou went. Just before I think he’s going to consider leaving again, he puts my arms on his shoulders again. “Can you move?”

“Yeah. Sort of.” I answer, my hands twitch trying to get a firm hold on Koujaku.

“Here we go.”

“Ah, I’ll help out too!” Clear goes to the opposite side of me and slings my other arm over his shoulder as well. “Okay, let’s go.”

The drugs Ryuuhou slipped me haven’t faded off, but I start to feel better emotionally with everyone here. We leave the club and head back to Glitter.


	20. Dye Music

“What do you mean they were captured?!”

“You heard me the first time. Do you need it anymore simple?”

“You fucker, if they were caught then you should have been captured with them!”

They’d been going at it like this since we got back to Glitter…

Mink and Koujaku managed to sneak their teams into Platinum Jail but according to Mink the warehouse they were at was ambushed. Which explains the video I saw earlier with Toue’s speech, but I don’t remember seeing Benishigure members…

“If you go to save them, you’ll just be caught with them too.” Mink went on.

“So you’re saying to just abandon them!” Koujaku yells. “Maybe you don’t give a damn about your team but I care about mine!”

They’re making my headache worse. I can’t even tell them to knock it off with how dry my throat is. Yet I try anyway, “Guys… we need to--”

“Then we use him. His voice is the best chance to get us in.”

What?

“What are you on about now?” Koujaku narrows his eyes as Mink takes a long breath from his pipe. “His power.”

Is he talking about Scrap?

“…No.” I look down when they turn their attention on me. “I don’t… I don’t want to use it.” This power is not anything good. Not with what it did to Mizuki. When I look up again, Mink is taking long strides toward me. He reaches out and snatches up the collar of my shirt, pressing me into the back of the couch I was sitting on. Ignoring Koujaku and Clear, Mink stares right at me with cold eyes. “Will something happen if you sit there in regret? Look at reality. Nothing will change if you keep thinking that way.”

He lets go of my shirt, only to take hold of my hair and forcefully pull down. My head snaps back and I scream in pain as my nerves go berserk.

“Hey!!”

“Mink-san!!”

“If you have no self-awareness, I’ll drag it out. It’s more convenient that way.”

The intense pain runs down my spine on a level I’ve never felt before. My teeth grind together. Cold sweat covers my body and the pain feels as if it’s directly chewing my nerves off. “Ow, ah… Ungh…!” I grind my teeth even harder, and my vision becomes dyed with a bitter red. I barely notice Koujaku and Clear trying to make Mink stop.

Wanting to escape from the pain myself, I reflexively make a fist and punch. The pain suddenly stops. I drop back on the couch and I notice that Mink is taking a sidelong glance at me with his head tilted.

I receive a punch to the face in return, knocking me right off the couch. My whole world shakes and sways as I turn my head a little, only able to see everyone from the floor. Koujaku and Mink are fighting. It’s nothing like when Koujaku was fighting against Noiz.

Mink blocked more of Koujaku’s attacks than any dodging.

An arm comes around me and pulls me up before I notice it’s Clear supporting me against him. I look back to Koujaku and Mink. “…Why… What is all this?!” I yell at them. “I never asked for this sort of power… I… I would’ve been just fine with living like a normal person!! I don’t even know what’s going on anymore!”

I feel Clear hold me tighter even if I can’t see his face behind that woman mask. Koujaku and Mink both stare at me, both scuffed up from their fight, but Mink’s gaze is still emotionless. “It’s your fate to carry that burden. It’s been decided since you were born. So curse the gods, if anyone.”

The room seemed to fall silent at Mink’s words. Koujaku continues to glare and I notice him wiping blood from his mouth as it swells and turns red where he was hit. Clear helps me to stand up but moves me more behind him as Mink opens his mouth again, “You’re not the only one shouldering something. Everyone is the same. Don’t think you’re some tragic protagonist. What you want and don’t want doesn’t matter. You get what burdens you were given, that’s the reality. The rest has nothing to do with it. If you hate it, fight to the death. Don’t accept it.

“What you decide to do is all on your own. Or are you some idiot that wants someone else to decide for them?” Mink turns and moves past Koujaku to the stairs, “Throw everything away; anything that conceals your true self. If not, you’ll never get what you want.”

His cold words sound like a spell in my ears. Mink disappears on the second floor leaving Koujaku, Clear, and I standing there in a tense silence. Noiz hadn’t come out from his room at all during this or I never saw him do so. “…Aoba, are you alright?” Koujaku asks and stops in front of me, leaning to look at my injury.

It feels like my cheek has swollen too. “I’m fine… What about you?”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine! Who does that bastard think he is?!” Beni cuts in, looking up at us from the coffee table with his feathers ruffled. I then notice Mink’s Allmate perched on the back of the other couch, preening himself. Ren said his name was… Tori.

He doesn’t seem interested to talk to us so I decide to leave him alone.

We go up to the second floor. As I sit on the couch with Koujaku, Clear gets water from the bar for us. “Thank you, Clear.”

“Are you sure you need nothing else Master?” Clear frets until I reassure and convince him to sit down with us. This whole thing is messed up. We’re running out of time and things just keep coming up.

“Are you doing any better?” Koujaku asks again while I chug down my water and I nod when finished. I don’t know where to start anymore. Silence comes down on us again until Clear suddenly stands up, “I’ll be in there.” He says and walks to his room. Well that was… unusual. I open my mouth but Koujaku quietly calls me and I turn to him looking at me. “Let me apologize. I know I can’t possibly apologize enough, but… I’m really sorry.”

I push my lips together in a sort of frown when I hear his words. I think about so many things with Koujaku…

There are so many things I want to say, so many things I want to ask. But I think I’ll talk about myself first. If I want to know more about Koujaku then I have to tell him more about myself.

I can’t ask everything and anything of Koujaku. I have to keep to his pace. I need to do what Koujaku has always done for me. We’re not kids anymore. I need to tell him how I feel in a direct and honest way. “…Koujaku. I need to tell you something.” I was now thankful that Clear let us be alone. A tinge of nervousness appears in Koujaku’s expression.

“I’ve known you for a long time, but now I feel like I don’t anymore. But I… said this before, that I actually don’t know anything about you.”

“Aoba…”

“I must sound pretty full of myself.” I lower my eyes and lean back on the couch, “But it was a big shock to me… At first, I wondered why you were keeping things from me. But it’s different now.”

Before… when Koujaku was fighting against Mink; that was the Koujaku I knew. Always looking after me, “You have your circumstances and your reasons… I should’ve thought of that first. And when I realized that, I decided to believe in you and wait. I’d wait until the time would come where you’d talk to me… but it never came. I really do want to know all about you. About when you were away from the island, and what happened then. And what’s been happening up to now too, if you don’t want to then… No.”

I look straight at Koujaku. He has an uneasy expression but he keeps quiet to let me keep talking. “No. I won’t take that anymore… Koujaku, I want you to tell me about yourself.”

Koujaku lowers his head with a troubled expression. If he still doesn’t want to talk to me after all this, I’ll finally give up. I’ll take that as Koujaku’s answer. That’s what I told myself I’d do.

It feels like it takes an eternity, but eventually Koujaku looks up again to me. “…Okay, I’ll tell you. I never knew you felt that way. I only held back because I didn’t want to bring you into this. And honestly, I was scared of you knowing, but you ended up in this mess anyway. Ryuuhou is at the other end of this. I’m not going to hide anymore. So, listen to me.

I nod my head, and so does Koujaku. “It was around the time when I left the island with my mother. We went back to her parent’s home on the mainland. You didn’t know, but my family up there was part of the yakuza.”

“…So that’s how it was.” I mumble recalling our encounter with Virus and Trip when Dry Juice went missing.

“Yeah. My mother was only the boss’s mistress, but I was still the heir. His real wife’s kid was a stillborn, so I became the heir in his place. But I didn’t want to succeed and his wife tormented my mother. It was too much to take, so we ran away to the island.

“We ended up coming back but… some things came up. My mother died.”

His mother… died? I had seen her numerous times while she was on the island, she was a kind and lovely person. Koujaku lets out a small sigh, “…Just a while ago was the first time you’ve ever seen the tattoo on my face, right?”

The question strikes me a bit because it wasn’t the only one I knew about. I hesitate slightly to answer but then my mouth opens, “Yeah. But… I knew about the one on your back.” As I expected at this point, Koujaku’s visible eye widens at me, “So you saw. When?”

“When I ruined your kimono and you went to wash it in the bathroom. The door was slightly open. Rather than going inside, I just peeked in, and… I didn’t mean to peek… Sorry.”

“…I see.” Koujaku lets out another sigh, “Whatever. You must’ve been shocked by it. I got both of these tattoos from when I was on the mainland. That bastard Ryuuhou was the one that forced them on me. My old man was interested in him and told Ryuuhou to ink me just like that. I didn’t want to have that burden. You might say it was karma… but both the lineage and the successor were fucked up.” He spits those words out as he fiddles with his bangs.

“Damn that Ryuuhou… I tried to keep an eye out when I saw you speaking with him, but I never thought he’d lay his hands on you. And then the Scratch head.” Koujaku glares toward the bedroom doors, “When I saw you earlier, I thought my heart had stopped. That’s why I told you never to go back. Frankly I don’t think we should trust this guy either.” He shakes his head and turns back to me still frowning, “You know those two girls that called out to us when we first got here, right? One of them had one of Ryuuhou’s tattoos on her neck. His specific features so I could tell right away. There was a haze of blue on it. I believed that Ryuuhou was around and asked her for some information about him.”

I feel myself perk with some realization as things start to make more sense, “So that’s why you left to go see her?”

“Yeah. It must’ve been awful for you, but honestly, all that was in my head was about Ryuuhou. I’ve been after him since my mother died. I’ve always wanted to catch him for these tattoos but couldn’t find him on the mainland. I couldn’t settle down, and I told myself I couldn’t stay like that… so I decided to go back to Midorijima.” Koujaku’s hands fisted on his lap. I was left rather speechless. I wanted an explanation but this.

“But suddenly he’s in my reach again. And he even got to you.” Koujaku stops there. He looks away as his eyes fill with darkness, ears pinned back and his tail limp. “…I’ll never forgive Ryuuhou. I can’t even erase these tattoos off of me. They’ll be with me until I die. Even though it was under orders from my father, I still can’t forgive him for what he’s done. He enjoys the cries and screams as he pushes in his needle. He’s a demon. And he… he’s the reason why my mother died.”

How is that possible? What had he done? The questions filled my mind but my lips remained pursed together as Koujaku clearly wasn’t done talking yet.

“I really just wanted to forget about it. I didn’t want to stay so bitter and angry. I tried to wash it all away over time. But that bastard just had to show up. He enjoys making fools of others, the fucker…!” Suddenly his arm swung back and hits the wall behind us. As he holds his fist there, it shakes weakly. “I end up losing myself in anger whenever it comes to him. I also made you go through such awful things. I knew that it was all wrong. I was unwilling, and he still spanned that tattoo along my back. It must be my karma.”

Mink’s words earlier come back to me and I realize he was right. I’m not the only one carrying a burden. In a way I loathed myself for not noticing. On the other hand I now wondered what the other’s troubles were then. It’s not just me and it’s not just Koujaku.

“As long as he’s on this earth, I’ll never be able to get rid of this anger. So… I’m going to put an end to it.”

My heart stopped. “An end?”

“Yeah. The end of both me and him. But this is all me. You’re not involved, and I don’t want you to be. I’ll end it myself. I can’t bother you like this…”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” I interrupt him, and determinedly gaze into his eyes. “When did anyone say I was bothered?” Koujaku’s gaze falls to the ground, his expression perplexed. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I never thought of you as a bother, and I never will. All I’m thinking is how amazing it is for you to talk to me about this. Now I can be able to do something for you.”

I end up smiling, “…Thank you for telling me.”

“Aoba…”

“I had a dream about the past last night.” The words just spill out before I really think about it, before I can let him say anything else, “I was crying one night when Granny wasn’t home, and you came to find me. I wonder how long it took you to find me? I was so happy. You’d always help me, like a he—like a dependable big brother. So now I want to do that for you. You yourself told me that I was just holding it up inside and that you wouldn’t have known if I never told you.

“So I thought about that. I’ll keep talking until you can rely on me and open up too. And right now, we’re both involved at this point…” I finish talking and wait for Koujaku’s reaction. He sat there silently with his eyebrows furrowed, but he soon takes a deep breath and smiles.

“What?” I ask. Koujaku shakes his head, “Nothing. I was just remembering that before we came here, I told you that you could tell me anything, and now it’s a little weird. The worst kind of person is the one that can’t speak about himself honestly.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “So we’re really like each other now, huh. It’s like we both changed for the worst.”

“Maybe… Speaking of the past, when I saw you after being away from the island for so long, I was completely surprised.”

“Surprised?” I tilt my head only a little to not trigger too much pain, “Why?”

Koujaku’s grin widens like he’s trying to suppress a laugh, “Because the little baby that used to be so small and cute became a big boy.”

“Of course I would’ve!”

“Yeah. But I was still surprised. It was like a you I didn’t know.” Koujaku’s smile returns to something more gentle as he looks at me. “You didn’t even notice; I was confused because I thought I didn’t know you anymore either!”

“Exactly the same thing… But when I saw you when you came back, I wasn’t really surprised. I thought you hadn’t changed at all.”

Koujaku scoffs despite the smile still on his face, “How cruel. Are you saying I never grew up?” He asks. “Not that. I said it before, that you’d always come to help me… You were my hero.”

“Hero?”

Wait… I said that out loud?! My face flushes, “…Yeah. So what?”

“…O-oh…”

“So that’s why you weren’t so different and I thought you were the same old Koujaku I knew. And I acted so naïve in front of you.”

“…Nothing really changed there.” Koujaku narrows his eyes. “We were apart for some time, but we never really changed at heart. I thought I’d just grow a little. I’m still me. And you’re still you. Right?”

“Right.” I nod and Koujaku smiles and then offers me his hand. “Our secret handshake. We used to do it a lot, remember? We’d be putting our hands together like this.” Koujaku entangles his long, thin fingers around mine.

“…You know, you always used to say this one thing. You’d say, ‘Don’t give in’.” At my mention, Koujaku blinks, “Did I?”

“You did. I remember it really well. Whenever you’d say that, I’d feel a sorta strange power swell up in me.”

“…Really.” Koujaku gives me an embarrassed smile but then it suddenly falls and he leans forward, looking at my neck. “Hm? What happened here?”

“What?” I reach up toward my neck but Koujaku stops my hand from touching. “Your neck is red. It looks like you’ve been pricked with needles or a bug bite…”

This time I managed to feel at the spot he was talking about, it did feel a little swollen. Weird, I wouldn’t think of their being bugs here in Platinum Jail but…

After that Koujaku decided to get up and I reclined back to relax on the couch for a little longer, contemplating over everything we talked about. Maybe I ought to hear out the others… But there’s still things we have to do.

That reminds me though.

I turn to sit up from the couch, only to find a woman’s face hovering over me. “Wuhaa!”

“Master?”

“Clear! Don’t do that!” I heaved a heavy breath, pressing a hand over my chest. Well I was going to speak to him anyway. Clear slightly tilts the mask to look at me but doesn’t take it off completely at first. He hesitates, making sure we’re alone before he takes it off and I can see his face again. “Sorry Master…” He mumbled but I shook my head.

“What were you going to ask me before?”

Clear’s eyes widened and then averted from mine as he moved back out of view, prompting me to sit up so I could look at him. He hesitates but I wait.

“I have always wondered about this, but… does your heart beat quickly when you fall asleep?” He finally asks. “…When I’m sleeping? When people are asleep?” I tilt my head slightly, resisting to wince when the movement makes it throb.

“Oh, no, just before they fall asleep, I mean… don’t you think about how you might stop breathing? How you could never wake up again, and die in your sleep…”

His sudden question surprises me a little bit. “Not really, I’ve never thought all that seriously about how much or when my heart beats.”

“Is that so? Why?”

“Why? Hmm. Usually people don’t think about that sort of stuff.”

“But that doesn’t guarantee that it won’t happen. There is always an end to a person’s life. Don’t you think about terrifying things like that? When you think about how there is already an end, don’t you have any questions about life itself?”

“…Clear?”

“Haven’t you ever thought about what it means to live? Don’t you ever wonder why you’re alive right now, Master?” Clear’s deep questions leave me at a complete loss. “…Are you worried about something?” I ask him.

“Worried?”

“It sounds like you’re really afraid of something to me.”

“Afraid? Me? It’s not that. I’m not afraid.” A light frown forms on Clear’s face.

“Then why did you ask me something like that?” I watch his reaction and Clear’s eyes lower. “…People are always creeping towards death. So don’t you think that we should celebrate our life as much as we can? But no matter what they do, the fact that they’ll eventually die doesn’t ever change. In the end, everyone dies… Just like machines and other things. But they struggle through their lives. What would they be fine with leaving behind?

“The proof that they were here? But why would anyone want to leave behind that sort of thing? Isn’t that just simply for self-satisfaction?” Clear looks straight at me at this point; I wasn’t able to come up with an immediate answer to his question. But I still understood what Clear was trying to say.

Why do people live? For what reason do we exist? What does it mean to be dead?

I wonder if there’s anyone out there that has a concrete answer. There are people out there that say that you reach Amitabha’s Pure Land after death. And there are people out there that say you see hell instead. No one knows which is right. “…I wonder about that too. I don’t know. I don’t think anyone can answer your question. But I think that living is more or less about self-satisfaction.”

“Isn’t it?”

“There are people out there that dedicate everything to others, but they still value their life. But death is one of those things that you can’t even imagine, so it’s scary.”

Clear tilts his head and then brings it back up, “Because they can’t imagine it?”

“Yeah. We don’t know what will happen after death, if anything does at all, or if we just disappear. Even if you can imagine it, you can’t prove it. Because you’ll be dead. So that’s why we want to leave proof that we were alive once. I want people to know I was here when I disappear. We think that way because death is so alien and frightening. That’s why we try to fight death. But I think that it’s people themselves that make death something scary. Everyday living isn’t just having fun all the time.

“And there are things out there that people go through that are worse than death too. They think that when they die, they’ll be set free from everything.”

Clear’s eyes widen with a look of surprise, “Set free?”

“Yeah,” I nod a little to not set off my headache too much, “They believe that some messiah will drop down from heaven and save them from their hell. So they depend on that to happen. It’s something that people decide for themselves. But I think that I should enjoy the time I’m alive. I’ll never know if I’m going to just drop dead the next day.”

Clear looks at me, staying silent for some time; It looks like he’s trying his hardest to understand what I mean. “…So in other words, it’s fine because you’d rather stay together with me than die?”

“…The conversation really took a turn just now. But you’re not exactly wrong.” A light laugh emits. “I wouldn’t have the patience to stay with a guy I didn’t like anyway.”

“Is that so… I understand.” As if he’s finally satisfied, Clear nods his head a few times. And then a soft smile floats to his face. “Master, you’ve taught me things that I didn’t know.”

I’m carelessly caught up in the moment and then Clear’s puzzled voice brings me back to my senses. “Has something happened?” He asks.

“No, I was just thinking how this is the first time I’ve seen you really smile.”

Clear’s floppy ears twitch anxiously and then lower with his head as he looks away, “…I’m sorry, is it strange?”

I shake my head, “Not at all.”

“That’s good, then.” Clear smiles again and looks at me as if he’s found something he’s been looking for. “Um, Master. I have something I’d like to ask of you.”

“Hm?”

“May I sing for you? You’ve taught me so many things, and I’d like to sing for you to show my gratitude. May I?”

“Sure.” I wonder what kind of song he’ll sing.

Clear takes a deep breath, and then starts to sing. Out of his mouth comes a graceful, flowing chime. The purity of his singing gives me a calm feeling. It’s like when he was singing outside of the veranda back home. I take a deep breath and immerse myself in the song. Words begin to naturally escape my mouth. “…I like your song.”

Clear stops singing and looks at me with a happy expression. “Grandpa always loved when I sang for him. That’s why I thought you’d be happy with my song as well. I’ve never been so happy to be able to please you.” After Clear says that, he starts to sing again.

Back at the fountain, I had questions about Clear. That maybe he wasn’t human. They came to mind again when he was singing. But then I thought that it was fine either way. Even though I have this power, the power to control a person’s entire mind with my voice… Clear has nothing to do with that. No matter what Clear is, I love his singing voice. So it’s fine the way it is.

Only now am I able to forget everything and sink into his song.

 

Clear’s song relaxed me, so I was able to watch news about Toue on the TV without feeling anything. I ought to sleep soon, it’s late. But everything shown on the TV was completely new to me; I’d never seen or heard about any of it. “There’s so many channels.”

“You’re right…” Clear mumbled next to me. Right before I go to turn off the television, I hear a strange noise. On the screen is a program advertising Platinum Jail.

…Suddenly, my vision started to sway. Unable to control my body, I grip onto the back of the sofa.

“Master! Are you alright?! What’s wrong?!” Clear presses his hands to my back to support me as I wobble.

“…My head…!” My head hurts! It feels like it’s tearing apart! My vision blurs almost completely, and soon enough I can’t open my eyes anymore. I feel sick. A couple doors open and I hear voices but they’re muffled under the ringing in my ears.

No… Noiz… Koujaku…

I want to warn them against whatever’s happening but I can’t stop grinding my teeth against the pain. And then Clear turns off the TV. “Are you alright, Master? Please rest for now.”

A cold sweat runs down my body as Clear helps me lie down on the sofa. “What’s up with him?” Noiz asks. “Aoba!” I can’t see but I can hear Koujaku take a couple steps toward me and then stop. I can’t think too much into it.

The blood rushing to my head makes it feel like it’s going to burst…

“That song… That was Dye Music.” Clear suddenly states. I barely open one eye, “Dye…?”

“The sound sinks into the human brain and literally dyes it.”

“What’s that all about?” Koujaku asks in a scoff.

“Normal humans can’t notice Dye Music, and before they know it, their brains are dyed.” Clear explains and this time Noiz responds with, “Sounds stupid.”

“…What do you mean by ‘dyeing’?” I ask, ignoring Noiz’s comment.

“The sound has a will of its own and it will force people to submit.”

“…Toue’s work?”

“Yes. However, Master, you have a special power. It is like your body is rejecting the will of Dye Music.”

I can’t believe something like that is coming from the TV… That reminds me about Haga-san’s call. Granny… everyone…

Toue must have many other traps that everyone is caught in, the music can’t be the only one. If no normal human can notice it, they might as well all be Toue’s puppets.

“And just how do you know so much about this then?” Koujaku suddenly brings up.

That’s… now that he mentions it. I look at Clear, “…Why do you know so much?”

Clear hesitates to say anything else. “…Why do I? I’m not quite sure myself. It just came out of my mouth. Grandpa must have told me.”

That makes me wonder what kind of person Clear’s Grandpa was. But I don’t see any hint of dishonesty in Clear’s face. Without anything else, I once again try to breathe and concentrate on ignoring my unstoppable headaches. “…Owowow, shit, it still hurts.”

“The music utilizes your sense of hearing, so the effects may still be wearing off. I’ll do what I can to make you feel better quickly, Master. Close your eyes and please enjoy.” I close my eyes as he says, take a deep breath, and relax my body.

Then, the faint sound of a song reaches my ears. Clear is singing again. He comforts me as if I’m a baby, with his calm and sweet melody. As I listen, the pain gradually leaves my head. Soon I feel better, and I fall into a dream-like state. Clear’s voice is so beautiful…

As I drowsily think of that, I slowly lose conscious.


	21. Alphas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the BS-Train! Hope you folks enjoy this twist.

When I open my eyes, I jerk up from the sofa.

…How long was I out for?

When I look at my Coil, I see that not even fifteen minutes has passed. I feel a little relieved but tired. My headache was completely gone, most likely due to Clear’s song, but my face still hurts.

Right, where is everyone? I don’t see them anywhere, not even Ren.

I get up off the couch and hear the sound of voices coming from downstairs. Walking half way down the stairs, I notice Mink sitting on the sofa with Noiz in the living room, tampering with something and sitting on the floor was…

“Why is it that you don’t call Master ‘Master’?” asks Clear to Ren who tilts his head at the question, “What do you mean?”

…Even though I do it all the time with Ren, it’s somehow… strange to watch a person and a dog speaking to each other.

“Aren’t you Master’s Allmate? Then he’s your master because you’re his possession.”

“That’s true.”

“Then why don’t you call him Master?”

“Because that’s not their name!” Came a pitched voice.

Ah, Beni was down there? And Tori too. I sat down on the steps, unable to help listening in.

“I may not be answering your question, but Aoba is Aoba. There’s no reason to call him Master.” Ren clarified. Clear didn’t seem satisfied with either answer. “Is that so? Then you’re addressing your Masters as your equal. But that’s not how it should be.”

“We address them as they wish.” Tori spoke up and Clear tilts his head at him, “How does Mink-san address you?”

“Hey. You. Bird.”

…Well that explains his name. I glance at Mink between the rails but neither he or Noiz seem to be acknowledging the current conversation.

“As Tori stated, it’s not I, but rather Aoba, who decides. I just follow what he asks of me.” Ren states and Clear turns his head away, “Is that so?” I barely hear him mumble, “I don’t think that’s a valid point.”

“Aoba’s name is Aoba.”

“And Koujaku is Koujaku!”

“Noiz too! P!” Ah, at that I spot a green cube bouncing next to Ren.

“But Master is your master.” Clear insists.

…I feel like their conversation has taken a rather sour turn. I guess it’s because Clear is trying to justify his reasons for calling me Master. But then, I guess that means I’m just as good as anyone else to him.

Well… I call Haga-san ‘Boss’, so Clear calling me Master is a bit understandable…

The dispute continues.

Seeing how they’ll never reach a settlement, I go downstairs to the first floor. “What kind of stupid things are you guys talking about?” I burst out and all eyes turned on me. I feel a bit… uneasy, passing by Mink but I decide to try ignoring him as Clear quickly stands up. “Master!”

“Aoba!” Ren calls at the same time. However with Clear facing me I suddenly realize something.

He wasn’t wearing a mask.

I could see the surprise that was in his voice on his actual face. “Were you listening to our conversation?”

“Well, more like I didn’t have a choice but to.” I clarify with a yawn. “Then what do you think, Master? Whether Ren-san and I should call you Master or not.” I shift under Clear’s determined stare and rub the back of my neck. “I think you can do whatever you want, really.”

“Whatever I want? What do you mean?”

“You can call me as Master if you want.” I shrug. “But I’d rather be called by my own name, though.”

Clear’s ears and tail suddenly lower along with his eyes, “Is that so?”

“And by the way,” I quickly add in, “Would you call anyone other than me Master?”

“That’s…” Clear freezes up when he thinks about it. “…That’s true. Although I’ve never thought of calling anyone Master other than you in the first place. But if that situation were to appear, I would call them Master.”

That somehow makes me feel a little lonely to think he would call anybody Master. He asks if I’m alright, wondering if he said something weird. After I reassure that’s not the case, Clear goes up the stairs, his head tilted to show how he doesn’t exactly consent. I decide to let the matter go. Clear should loosen up…

“Hey.”

I’m surprised when Mink calls me. I turn my head, trying to look as calm as possible.

“Put this in your Allmate.” Mink throws something my way. It’s a USB the size of my pinky finger at most.

“What’s this?”

“It will destroy the security programming in the tower.” Mink answers. Noiz closes down the screens he had up and stands, “If you can connect to the tower’s network that is.”

“That’s what the Allmate is for.”

“Wait, how do you know this?” I ask with my mind reeling at how these two can state such a thing so casually; like it’s all a guarantee.

“A jailer.” Says Mink.

A jailer? What in the Old Resident District? The prison system there was near defunct. Maybe there were some exchanges of information between the prisoners, jailers, and police.

“Figures that would be your source.” Behind me is Koujaku suddenly. His hair is damp… He must have been in the shower earlier. I put aside his comment and hold up the USB, “What’ll happen to Ren if I do this?”

“Who knows.”

“Who knows…?! Putting something so dangerous in Ren isn’t funny!” Crossing the few feet between us I hand the USB back. “Never. I won’t, take it back.”

“…Are you an idiot?” Mink asks and slaps my hand away with the back of his larger hand. If he’d put more force into that, I probably would have dropped the USB. Mink squints harshly at me, “I thought about this earlier too, why are you so fussy over your Allmate? They’re just tools.”

Noiz let’s out an amused breath, “I told you. He really is clingy to it.”

The both of them spark anger in me. That they could think in such a way, “…Don’t talk like he’s just some product. I’ve never thought of Ren that way!”

“It’s a machine. Trash with thousands of replacements.” Mink states firmly.

“Oi, Ren! You gonna just let this bastard talk about you that way?!”

“Beni.” Koujaku taps the sparrow on the head and then frowns at Mink, “Though really, you ought to shut it. Why are you even still here after that stunt you pulled?” Mink barely changes his sight from me to Koujaku. At the same time my own focus flickers to Tori settled behind Mink on the back rest of the couch. Doesn’t Tori hate being called an item?

What about Noiz’s Allmate too? If he really thinks the same way as Mink.

But Tori just keeps grooming himself without paying any attention to us. Something he and Mink share in common.

“It doesn’t matter what you think. It’s part of the plan. You have to do it.” Mink says and Koujaku scoffs instantly, “What plan? I don’t recall discussing anything.”

“No one said you had to be apart of it. It all matters on if he fails.”

“You--!”

“Enough!” I yell and look down at Ren. He’s just staring at me silently with his tongue sticking out.

…I can’t.

I can’t do it.

I just stand there with the USB in hand and Mink stands up, coming closer. It was too late to guard myself and I stagger back two, three steps when he hits the opposite cheek he had before. Koujaku comes up behind me, steadying me and then puts himself between me and Mink appearing livid. Blood already starts to fill my mouth.

Frustrated and angry, I glare at Mink. He can’t make me do something like that to Ren.

“You think you can keep getting away with this shit?!” Koujaku snaps, aiming to strike at Mink. But his arm never budges. And somehow Mink is forced to take a step back too.

Clear is suddenly there between the two, a hand pressed to Mink’s chest and the other holding firmly on Koujaku’s raised arm. “Please stop this violence.” It came out in a statement than a request. I could only stare.

How was he… holding the both of them back like this?

It was brief in Mink but both he and Koujaku look equally surprised too. Then Mink reseats himself on the couch, picking up his pipe from the table. “If you don’t want to be hit anymore, just do as I tell you.”

He thinks of nothing except his scheme; just as he said, my feelings or will mean nothing. But what is it that Mink is so determined about? If Toue is his objective, he’s never given a reason why. There’s something going on, surely. And it’s not within the same reasoning as mine.

Something that led him to rejecting everyone around him, something that stabs at him.

At that moment, Ren nudges my leg. “Aoba.” Ren holds the USB in his mouth. It must’ve fallen at some point. “Use this.”

“But if I do, then--”

“It’s alright. Mink will do anything to reach his goal. With Noiz’s own input, that’s why the probability of this succeeding is high. And even if I break, you will fix me. Am I wrong?”

“…Ren.” My heart clenched. Ren believes in me. Completely, without doubt. Then I have to fix him if anything happens to go wrong. I pet Ren down his back and take the USB key. “…I got it. Then, I’ll be connecting it now.”

“Okay.” Ren rolls onto the floor, showing his belly to me. I brush through his fluffy fur and expose the connection hub, my hands cold and shaking while holding the USB key. I insert it and watch Ren nervously. “…Transfer complete.” Ren gets up and I carefully examine him to see if anything went wrong. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, it seems to be satisfactory.”

A long, relieved breath escapes my mouth. But anything could’ve happened, so I can’t ever be unprepared.

Feeling someone’s gaze on me, I turn around to find Mink puffing clouds of smoke while staring at me. Seeing him sitting on the sofa like that reminds me of the time when I was taken to that abandoned building. It wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like it was.

“It seems your Allmate is quite the understanding type.”

I don’t respond and simply glare at him. I have to stop Toue to save everyone in the Old Resident District. So we all have to work together. If even Ren thinks our chance of succeeding is high then…

I hold Ren closer to me as I stand up and head up to the second floor again. To use Ren as a tool… Is this okay?

I sit on the sofa with Ren, remaining silent. I’ve calmed down a little, so I arrange all of my jumbled feelings. Firstly, what Haga-san said about the Old Resident District. He said that Platinum Jail people came down there and started blasting some sort of music.

Was it the Dye Music Clear talked about before?

The idea of anything happening to Granny and the others… I can’t even get back in touch with them. What if right now, they’re…

“Aoba.” Ren must’ve noticed, and he puts his front paws on my lap.

“Sorry about that…” I need to calm down and think. I close my eyes and take deep breaths to try to calm myself down. Suddenly, the image of Sei’s eyes burn into my vision. It seemed like Sei was a very important person to Toue. He did say that he was like a son to him.

The moment when Sei’s eyes appeared on those giant monitors… something like lightening hit me. It was the same thing as when I met eyes with him when he was slouching in that alley.

And after that, all of the people around me adored Sei; it was like he used magic. Those eyes… were like looking into a calm sea. What in the world is he?

I open my eyes and start to pet Ren’s back as he lies on my lap. I can hear the others talking downstairs again but not exactly what they’re saying. I look down at the fluff ball on my lap. “Ren.”

He turns his head up at me questioningly.

“We’re going to the tower. No more delaying.”

“How do you plan to get in?” Ren asks me and I answer almost instantly, “We’ll break through the front entrance… But that’s probably impossible.” Putting more thought in that, it really would be. Unless…

“Aoba… Do you plan to use your voice?”

“…You really see right through me.” I laugh and run a hand down my face. “But… Mink is right. There’s no other option. We have to get through before it’s too late.”

“But what if a situation arises where you do something that can’t be undone?”

I understand Ren’s words completely. My power… It ruined Mizuki. And I don’t know what it’s doing to me either. It’s not a power that can be used lightly. But…

“I don’t want to lose anything important to me. So I want to use my power to stop that from happening.”

“And then when something happens that you didn’t expect, you’ll make Tae-san and the others suffer?”

I look at Ren, a little thrown off by the question, “…But I’ll still save everyone.” Ren quietly curls up on my lap when he hears my answer. I know well that Ren is worried about me. He’s always been giving me advice, all this time we’ve been together.

Since my parents were almost never in my life, Ren’s been almost like family to me. Back when I first met Ren, I… Uh…

“Ren, when did we meet for the first time, again…?”

“Do you mean when you purchased me, Aoba? I recall registering your face about ten years ago.”

“I see, so it was that long ago, huh. I feel like we’ve been together longer, though.” I tilt my head back against the couch and smile, “But we’ve been together for a long time as is.”

“That’s true.”

“When I first held you, I thought you were this massive lump of fluff. I feel like you’re even bigger than you were then.”

“Isn’t it you who has grown?” Ren asks and shifts on my lap. I look back down at him with a light laugh, “True. But you’re still fluffy. Besides, we’re like siblings. But now I’m the older brother while you’re the younger one.”

“I can’t agree to that.”

“I thought you’d say that.” Smiling, I keep stroking Ren’s fur. It feels good to pet him, to be close to someone precious to me.

The voices of the others reach me again and suddenly I hear the front door open and close.

Huh?

Shifting Ren off my lap, I go to the railing of the stairs to look down and see Clear gone. “What’s going on?” I call and Koujaku is the first to look up, “He just walked out.”

He what?

“What’s he up to?” I mumble while going back to Ren to pick him back up, placing him in my bag before rushing back down the stairs. “I’m going after him.”

“Aoba!” Koujaku reaches out but I evade and rush out the door. First thing to hit my senses was the smell of moisture in the air. It must have just stopped raining I guess. Or it was getting ready to again. “…I hear a sound coming from the other side.” Ren claims, his ears twitching. I head down an alleyway to the side of Glitter. When I enter the alley, I start running down the narrow path.

Yet I hear sirens and footsteps behind me. Are you kidding?! I look behind me, thinking to go back for the others at Glitter but I see them already following so I keep running. We turn through several connecting alleys until the sirens fade but there’s still people after us.

“Alright, Aoba, keep going!” I look back again to see Koujaku slowing down to a complete stop and facing the direction of the police. What is he…?! “Koujaku!!” I halt and start to turn back. “Move!” Mink bellows at me as he too stops and runs back to Koujaku, standing at his side.

Noiz keeps running, snatching me by the arm to pull me along no matter how much I struggled at first. I hear wings above us and look up to Tori flying over us. Ah… I grit my teeth hoping Koujaku and Mink can get away so we can all meet up again. We can’t go back to Glitter now.

“WAIIIIIIIIITTT!!!” Someone jumps out in front of us. When I see his face, I can only stand there, shocked. “Akushima?!”

“YOU BASTAAAARDS, YOU’RE WAAANTEEEEED!” He yelled, his voice amplified by his megaphone. “I transferred to Platinum Jail JUST TO DEAL WITH YOU DAMN TERRORIIIISTS, HAHAHAHAHA!”

He’s so persistant… But he also seems a little off. He’s always been a crazy old coot, but now his smile is uncannily wide and his eyes aren’t focused.

“Time to KILL THE CRIMINAAALS!!!” Akushima’s megaphone opens up and expands until he’s holding a giant gun with multiple discharge points aimed right at us.

Suddenly, Noiz pushes me down. A ball of electricity just misses where my head was. The wall behind was completely blasted. “That’s definitely bad news.” Noiz mumbles and we get up from the ground, eyes centered on Akushima. “We gotta charge him.” Noiz declares.

I turn to Noiz bewildered. “Can we even do that? He’s got that weird weapon.”

He frowns at me, “We have to.”

“DIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!”

More bolts launch at us, and we dodge each one.

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAAAAYYYYYY!!!”

One of Akushima’s bolts almost hits me, but misses and disappears into the wall, making a bright flash and a large booming noise. Akushima stops attacking for a second. And in that moment, Noiz dashes towards him equipped with his gauntlets.

“You idiot! Stop!!” I yell, utterly terrified watching him.

“DIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!”

Noiz avoids a bolt by an inch, runs up to Akushima, and slams his knuckles into his chest. With the successful hit he keeps going, throwing out punch after punch. His mercilessness frightens me a little. “Hey! Stop, Noiz!” He’s overdoing it…!

Akushima, battered and beaten, falls back against what bit of wall was left in this alley and slides down. “…..Fuhahahahahahahaa!!” Akushima suddenly raises his bloodied face with a crazed smile to go with the cackling. He grabs Noiz’s neck with one hand, and points his giant megaphone gun to Noiz’s stomach with the other.

“Noiz!!”

“NOW, DIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!”

At that moment, before any thoughts can enter my mind, I begin to run. Every sound outside of my body fades out and the only thing I can hear is my own heartbeat and a certain ringing in my ears.

_Use it._

_Use it, use your power._

_Use it._

…My power.

I jump at Akushima and press my hand against his forehead, staring at his unfocused eyes. _“…Fall.”_

My brain feels like it’s being sliced apart. It hurts to breathe after sprinting full speed.

“…Hey.” Noiz looks at my face. Across from me, Akushima was lying down.

Noiz… I made it in time… The relief rises from the bottom of my heart.

But Noiz was glaring at me with piercing eyes. “…That voice just now.”

“Voice?”

“I heard it when I lost to you… And I thought I heard it a couple times since we’ve come here… So you really can do it.” His ears folded back, with his hat on it looked weird but I didn’t focus long on that as I took in his words. “I didn’t know my ass. You pretended you didn’t but you really could. You used it in Rhyme before, didn’t you?”

He doesn’t even let me answer before gathering up the collar of my shirt and shoving me into the wall. “Then let’s do it. Once more, right now. Hurry it up.”

“I said I can’t!” I only used it now because he was in danger and I don’t even really know how. I don’t want to use it again, either way.

“Use it.”

“I said. I. Can’t!”

Noiz presses harder. The pain of having my bones and muscles pushed into the damaged wall twists my expression. I just saved him…

It’s not that I wouldn’t do it again. But… Why do I have to be pushed down and give in to demands…?!

A bitterness burned into my throat as I opened my mouth, “Why have you been sticking to me all this time?! Because of Rhyme?! Because of losing?! I don’t get it at all!”

At that moment, Noiz’s eyes go cold. “…Then don’t try to save me.” He says just as coldly and steps away, finally letting me go, “You may have saved me for your own self-satisfaction, but I would’ve just gotten what I deserved if I died back there since I’m the one who challenged him. You had no right to intervene.”

Noiz turns away, stuffing a hand into his pocket. “You know well what I want, but you still haven’t replied. And yet you save me. What the hell is up with that?” Those piercing green eyes shift back to me, “Well, it was pretty convenient that I was here with you. Though I don’t know what you were trying to get out of it this time.”

“…Haha.” A dry laugh spills out of my mouth when I hear Noiz say that. So he thinks I just have him around for convenience’s sake.

…So that’s how it is. He thinks I’m that kind of guy. I… can’t even feel that shocked anymore. “That’s how you see me?”

“Was there anything I missed?”

“There is. A lot. Isn’t there anything you care about, maybe even worry about?”

“No.” Noiz denies it right away. “When it comes to people, I’m always looking for something in return. That’s why you care about people, so to feel good about yourself. There are no other reasons than that.”

That’s too sad of a way to think of things. “You’re wrong. I feel a little reassured when you’re here. In no way are you just for convenience. I wasn’t ever trying to get something out of you. How can you let yourself think that way after all of this?”

“Reassuring is just a pretty way of saying convenient.” Noiz scoffs.

“I said you’re wrong. It’s not like that… I need to keep a watch out for you. It’s just that… I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“Sorry, but I’m far stronger than you.”

“It’s not about being strong or weak.” Unable to use my words too well, I just grasp at Noiz’s free hand. He immediately tries to pull away. But I won’t let go. “I’ll treat your wounds no matter who your opponent is. You’re a very inconvenient person to me. I have no reason for it. That’s what I mean.”

Noiz’s head tilts, eyes narrowed irritably, “Why would you want my wounds to heal quickly if you had no reason for it? You don’t get anything out of me having some utility value anyway.”

This damn cat. “Listen! I’ll say it over and over, things like that have nothing to do with this.”

“…I don’t get you. I seriously can’t understand. You’re a weird creature.”

“You’re way weirder than I could ever be.” When I finally let go, Noiz steps further away with a sour look on his face. It looks like his anger has subsided for now.

Exhausted, my headache comes on harder than it did before.

“…For your information, our conversation isn’t over yet. I don’t have any intention of leaving you be. You’re definitely going to fight me.” Noiz informs and I held eye contact with him and nodded my head.

I’m not going to run away from his request anymore. I don’t know when it’ll happen but it will, especially with it known now that I for sure did Rhyme in the past.

Noiz approaches Akushima, nudging him with his foot. “So, what about this guy?” Stepping on his back, Noiz rolls Akushima face up. I can see his battered face, his mouth wide open.

It’s the same as with Mizuki. I’m guessing he was being manipulated by someone.

I… stopped Akushima with Scrap.

I feel like I’m slowly losing myself.

“Doesn’t look like he’s gonna wake up. Want to leave him?”

Startled, I nod to Noiz. He looks at me with a dubious expression. “What is it now?”

“No… It’s nothing.”

That is until I hear footsteps coming toward us again. I tense up wondering if it was any lackeys of Akushima until a blur of silver appears from around the corner and stops. “Master!”

“Clear?!”

…Thank goodness. He’s okay.

“My… did you hear that? He called him Master.”

Clear froze and then ran forward, turning sharply to stand in front of me as two other figures showed up where he was standing previously. When I see their faces I think my eyes are playing tricks on me.

They look… exactly like Clear. Except they’re wearing different clothes than him…

“What’s going on…?”

The two other Clears grin and chuckle.

The Clear standing in front of me lowers his ears and his tail tucks, “Master, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to involve you…” He uses an apologetic tone. This… is my Clear; His expressions and mannerisms, and most of all the two moles on his chin.

Then who are those two smiling over there…?

“Hey, get it together and open your eyes already.” One of the two places his hands on his hips in discontent. “I already told you earlier. That’s not your master. Our master is Toue.”

“…Toue?” My body tenses up from hearing the name so suddenly.

Clear makes an intense scowl and glares at the two others. “That’s wrong. Only this person is my master… Only Aoba-san.”

“Hah, he’s completely broken.” The one speaks while the other remains silent as they exchange glances and shrug their shoulders, then look at me this time. “We need to collect and repair the broken ones. But first I want to test out something.” The one speaking starts to walk toward us, “I should just dye these human’s brains and get it over with.”

“…No. I won’t let you.” Clear says and tries to put himself completely between us and the look alike approaching. The look alike opens his mouth and takes a deep breath that reaches the bellows of his chest. “Stop!!” As the real Clear screams out, the other one begins to sing.

It’s a frightening tune… His sharp voice and scale pierce through my eardrums. It’s the same song from on TV…!

My headache comes back and I’m down to my knees. The sound swells in my ears, getting louder and louder from both the left and the right. I feel so sick and dizzy.

“Master!”

In no time, I’m writhing on the ground. The sharp melody feels like it’s cutting my brain to pieces… “Aoba!” I barely feel Ren beside me.

“Stop singing that song right now!” yells Clear. The other Clear wears nothing but a happy look on his face watching me writhe in pain. Ren desperately pulls on my clothes with his teeth, trying to keep me conscious.

Their singing voices ring like overpowering bells in my ears, and I can’t think straight anymore.

“Aoba! Don’t give up!” Ren tugs harder at my clothes.

I hear the sound of someone stomping the ground, and the air stirs. When I strain my eyes, I see Clear running forward. He pushes away the singing one, and the song stops.

…What?!

That wasn’t my imagination just now, was it… Sparks just flew out of Clear’s arm…

“My my, you’ve really done it now.” The one that was singing shrugs his shoulders while dusting himself off and lets out a disappointed sigh. Clear holds onto one of his arms, staggering backwards.

“Clear!” I get up, pressing onto Ren’s back for support, and run up to Clear. I take Clear as he unsteadily wobbles around and prop him up with both of my hands. The right arm of his coat is burnt and ripped. I really hadn’t imagined those sparks. “Clear, are you okay?!”

“Master, I’m sorry. I’m fine.” Clear mutters.

“Hey you, do you know what you just did?”

Clear’s eyes warp with intense fury at the look alike.

“I’m sure you realize what happened to your body without me telling you. What’re you going to do, now that you can’t stop it? You’re really stupid. Hahaha!”

“It doesn’t matter, because I was able to save Master from your song.” Clear stands up straighter despite still holding onto his arm. The other Clear’s smile gets wider, “But you didn’t save **him**.”

…No.

I whip around to Noiz. I didn’t warn him! There was no expression on his face. His eyes were glazed over like a doll. He just stood there motionless. “Noiz!” I call him but he didn’t respond at all, not even a blink.

“Idiot. You’re completely broken. Haha!” The other Clear laughed, returning to the side of his silent companion. “Well, there’s no reason to collect and repair you now, so we’ll be leaving. The event happens soon and once all of you humans are dyed, you’ll be our servants. I’m looking forward to it.” The two turn and start walking away but the talkative one stops and looks over his shoulder, “Hey, you too.”

I blink before realizing Noiz is suddenly walking forward. “Noiz! No, wait!” I reach out and grab his arm but my grip is so pathetically weak with my head killing me and he keeps walking without restraint.

“Noiz-san!” Clear tries to stop him too but then stumbles and grips onto his burnt arm again.

The two Clears laugh at our efforts and unhurriedly leave with Noiz following after them.

“Noiz!!”


	22. Oval Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost at the end here everyone! Also. I will forever be mad that the anime did not put this scene in, so for damn sure I did. Enjoy.

As footsteps approached us, Clear is covering up his wounded arm and looks at me with a complicated expression on his face. I look at his arm and something startles me.

There’s something dripping from his fingertips.

“You’re…!” I reach out my hand, but Clear pulls away from me. I didn’t expect Clear to avoid me, so I only silently stare at him. “I’m sorry. I’m alright now.” Clear mutters.

“No, you’re not okay. Your face looks awful, and you can’t even stand up straight.”

Clear flinches and holds onto his arm, sullenly looking at his feet and tucking his tail. The air around us changes and water droplets start to fall onto my head just as I realize the footsteps are getting closer. I turn to see it’s Koujaku and Mink. They’re okay…

“Aoba!” Koujaku stops short noticing Clear before he looks back at me. “Aoba, what happened? Where’s the brat?”

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get you involved, Master…” Clear spoke before I could and Koujaku frowns. “Involved in what?” He asks. Clear’s voice is weak and the sound of the increasing rain falling almost overpowers it.

“Who were those guys back there?” I decide to ask, “They had the same face as you.”

“They’re…” Clear hesitates, and then goes silent. “Who has the same face as him? Aoba.” Koujaku looks at me, wanting an explanation to something I can’t give. I turn back to Clear who’s still got his head down. “Master, you must’ve realized it by now. That I’m not human.”

The moment he utters what I suspected, I feel a wall come between us and Clear; Even more so as he purposely keeps a distance from us. “I’m a man-made artificial being. I’m a prototype with my own serial number. So those two are like me.”

It feels strange… when he himself says it.

“We are products of Toue’s research. So they were correct when they said that ‘Toue is our Master.’ But still…”

“So, what? You were sent to spy on us?!” Koujaku took a threatening step forward until I grabbed his arm. He looks back surprised but I just shake my head watching Clear cower back further before he continues, “Surely you know about Toue’s research. We were created in order to control people. One of them sang with their Dye Music. It’s our main ability. That’s why… Noiz-san… The nature of your special voice has the same properties as well, Master. However, we’re man-made.”

“Then, your song is also…?”

“Yes. But my song counteracts against their Dye Music. Of course, I can also sing Dye Music as well.” Clear lowered his eyes, “…It must be hard to believe me.” Raindrops hit his face and run down his cheeks. The rain has turned into a downpour and my skin turns cold. “…So you were always keeping quiet about this?” I ask not wanting to believe that, but with all that he just said…

“No. You may not believe what I’m about to say… but I had forgotten.”

“Bullshit.” Growls Koujaku. Clear lifts his head, staring desperately at Koujaku, “I truly had! Or rather, I never had any questions about it. I had never thought about it seriously… But when those two called out to me, I recognized them right away. We exist as the same thing. We were developed as weapons for our masters.” Once more, Clear lowers his head, “Maybe I have been a spy, but I’ve never been suspicious of someone keeping surveillance on me. But--” Looking up, Clear takes a sudden step forward.

Koujaku tenses and I tighten my grip on his arm. I feel confused. Should I consider Clear a traitor? Is he just telling lies now that he’s been caught?

“I will tell you what I honestly think, because I want to face you and tell you the entire truth.” Clear’s determined eyes shine in the gloomy atmosphere, “I recognized you as my master because of that voice. It’s the same voice as Toue’s, a voice that has the power to control people… However, both our existence and Toue’s voice come from artificial means. You are different.

“It’s strange. Is Master, a human that holds the same power as us, different? Or are we the same? Whenever I had questions for you, you would answer them. You told me things that I never knew. You answer to things I wonder about. It’s the same thing that Grandpa did as he raised me.

“When I came to learn things, I felt my eyes light up. And I wanted to listen more. I wanted to be together more. That’s why I think this way. Master is a human while I’m artificial. The feelings of wanting to stay together with you weren’t lies. I don’t know if Toue is my true master, however, only you could possibly be my master.

“Even though I’ve only realized all of this now, my feelings won’t change. Those two did say that I was broken, but that’s fine with me. That’s why I won’t deceive you anymore. From now on, of course. I want you to at least… believe in that.”

…The sound of the rain sounds more miserable with his last words. My chest hurts, and I grab at my jacket over it. It is definitely a shock that Clear is something made by Toue. I think of how Clear might have been lying to me, to all of us, the entire time… and I doubt his words. But…

In my heart, I don’t believe that Clear is lying at all. I’ve never seen Clear as something artificial. The figure being drenched by the rain with an desperate look on his face… looks exactly like a human to me.

“Of course you’re not going to deceive us again, because you’re--”

“An idiot.” I cut Koujaku off and weakly smile at Clear. He perks a little, “Master…?”

“Do you really think I’m that heartless?” I ask him and Clear bites his lip in a frown. “Aoba…” Koujaku watches hesitantly until I step between him and Clear. “Koujaku, I… I really believe he’s not lying.” Behind me I suddenly hear rummaging and before I could turn around, something snaps and suddenly the rain isn’t hitting me anymore. I look up at an umbrella.

“You’ll catch a cold in the rain, Master.”

“…Haha!” It’s so like Clear to do something so out of the blue like this, and I let out a small laugh. Even now, he’s still concerned for me as ever. This is the same old Clear I know so well…

“I’m so happy that you’re my master. Thank you so much.” Clear murmurs.

“You’re just exaggerating.”

“They’re only my true feelings.”

We smile at each other but when I turn back to Koujaku, he’s still frowning. I stare at him pleadingly until a sigh leaves him. “Fine… But if you pull anything--”

“I promise not to.” Clear gives Koujaku a determined nod and it seems to pacify Koujaku, for now. I glance at Mink, wondering how convinced he is of this, but I can hardly read his expression. “The event starts today.” He suddenly spoke and looks in the direction of Oval Tower, surprising me, “…Toue’s in that tower. I’m going in.” There was no question. He was going with or without us.

I… I know I still can’t trust him completely. But we’ve all got to work together. And now Noiz is in danger… I nod before looking down at Ren standing by my feet, “Ren… Everyone, let’s go.”

Clear and Koujaku nod while Ren looks up at me as if he wanted to say something but he just wags his tail. I place Ren back in my bag and pick it up. Just then my Coil rings with a new message. Who… I bring up the screen.

Captive Princess…

Hesitantly I open the message.

_The lock to the heart has been open._

“What’s that?” Koujaku asks and I show the message. “What does it mean?”

I didn’t know either. But every message I’ve gotten from this person led to something happening right after. There wasn’t time to really debate over it. We decided to split up to find a way into Oval Tower. After some pointless arguing it ended up being Clear and Koujaku while I go with Mink.

I worried of leaving the two alone but Mink made it pretty clear he wanted me with him. So with that decided we head off in different directions.

***

An obvious aura of festivity surrounds the crowds of people moving up and down the streets. There’s also an obvious increase in the number of policemen. The policemen head towards the tower so the people don’t get too close. It doesn’t look like the crowds have calmed down from yesterday, and the entire tower is surrounded by security. I message this to Koujaku and Clear, they confirming this back. “What’ll we do…?”

I thought of bursting in, but Mink changes his direction to a side, ways off from the Tower. “M-mink?” We walk to a building next to the tower… Or rather, pretty far away from it. It was tall as well, and it didn’t seem as if tenants were in it. Looks like there’s no one here.

Mink goes around the building to the back door. Without the need to release a key lock, the door quickly flings open with a little push of his hand. “It wasn’t locked or anything?”

“I broke it.” Mink answers simply. “Well, my team did.”

…So this was part of his plan too?

On the other side of the door Mink opened were a staircase and an elevator. That’s all there is, maybe because we came through the back door. We go into the elevator and Mink presses the button for the top floor. Are we going to the roof?

The elevator comes to a calm stop and the doors open. In front of me is a narrow hallway and a door to the rooftop. Mink walks right up to the door and simply opens it. This door is broken just like the one before. The fresh air breezes along and brushes my cheeks. Is there something here?

I watch Mink’s hair blow in the wind as we walk to a clump next to the water storage container. It’s pretty large and is covered in a black cloth until Mink pulls it off. What was under it was a giant motorcycle. Mink straddles into the seat and then pulls the ignition key out of the breast pocket of his coat.

He starts the engine and the displays and headlights turn on. “Get on.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry up.”

I stare at Mink, “Isn’t it meant for one person?” He can’t be serious.

“Just get on.” He’s serious.

“Where do you want me to sit?!”

“Wherever you fit.”

How does this guy expect me to do this…?! But he looks like he’s going to take off soon. I walk up to the bike and clumsily clumber onto the back of the seat covered with the back of Mink’s coat. Hope he doesn’t mind… “Whoaa!!”

Mink suddenly takes off and I cling to him, thinking I’m about to fall off. “Wai--!” Mink circles around for who knows how many times.

What is he doing? What is he trying to do?

Both the questions and my stomach are starting to churn around…

Just when I thought we’d go in another circle, Mink revs up on the handles and drives through the rooftop in a straight line. “Clench your teeth for this.” That was the only warning I got as a rush of wind hits me and the violent vibrations almost makes me bite my tongue off.

The bike rides along the fenceless rooftop and without stopping… We soar. “Whuaa…!!!” It felt like time had stopped for a second. This. Is. Impossible!

I hear the loud sound of glass shattering, my body taking a hell of an impact. I open my eyes after closing them for what felt like an eternity and an image of a pure white wall as clear as a mirror, a floor, and a ceiling reflects in my eyes.

This is the inside of Oval Tower…


	23. Out of Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wayyyyyyy, wayyy too long of a pause between updates I apologize. Just started this intern thing so threw my schedule out of whack. I think I got something going again though, I haven't forgotten this project. But no promises of regular updates just in case.
> 
> As usual, I'm pretty sure that there's OOC elements happening, apologies!

“What?! Intruders!!”

A group of rifle holding guards appear from the hallways.

“Don’t get thrown off.” Mink tells me as the sharp engine groans and the bike takes off again. Security guards are knocked away while Mink drives through with ease. The sounds of firing follow behind us.

I’m terrified.

But Mink swerves around, avoiding the shots. Down the hall we face a staircase.

…Wait, a staircase?!! Are we really going to—

As I have my doubts about Mink’s rather crazy style of driving, the weight of two people presses on me as we ride up the stairs. The sound of his accelerator and brakes mix together, further jumbled with the sound of people yelling and gun shots firing. Within the torrents of noise, I tightly grip onto Mink’s back, praying to not fall off.

With the intense motion repeating over and over, the bike finally makes it up the stairs and stops. It’s finally over…

Relieved, my body loses some strength. I wonder how far we went up.

Mink drives a little ways down the corridor and stops again. He gets off the bike and I jump right off of the seat with him. Throughout the floor I see nothing but an endless white hallway lined by a couple of rooms, and then a door at the end of it. Isn’t there any security here?

The hallway is as silent as death and I don’t see any signs of anyone chasing after us…

Mink silently gazes at the door, inching closer to it.

“Oi!”

The both of us turn sharply.

It’s Koujaku, hunched over and panting for air at the stairway. Beside him, Clear is doing the same but his breathing seems more haggard, his face warped in pain. “Y-you guys!”

“You… We barely get in here… And I see this guy,” Koujaku jabbed a finger at Mink accusingly, “And you, crashing in like that…

I don’t know where to begin with that…

But I turn to Clear concerned, “Are you okay?”

“I’m… fine… I’ll be okay Master. We need to keep going.”

I remember the sparks that flew out of Clear’s arm. But before I could say something, I hear Mink start to walk off without us. I turn quickly and follow after, urging Koujaku and Clear to come along. We examine our surroundings briefly and continue down the hall. “…It doesn’t feel right.”

“Yeah. It’s too quiet, and an alarm hasn’t gone off or anything.” Koujaku stated while making a pointed glare at Mink again. If he felt it on his back he made no reaction to it.

The room beyond the door at the end was the size of a mid size hall. The sight of the person standing in the center of it causes me to freeze up immediately.

“…Ryuuhou.” Growled Koujaku. Ryuuhou didn’t have on his cheerful expression that I’d come to know, but rather was smiling with only his sharp eyes. “Koujaku, I knew you’d come.” Ryuuhou waved his arms out like greeting a loved one and Koujaku recoils at the action, reaching back for his sword, “You bastard…”

Then Ryuuhou’s sharp gaze turned to the rest of us. “So you came too, Aoba-kun. How nice. And your other friends… minus one.” Noiz…

“Don’t fuck around. You won’t lay one hand on him.” Koujaku snaps while stepping in front of me.

Ryuuhou tilts his head, “Isn’t that just your problem? I don’t know if I’ll get my hands on him just yet.” At that, Clear steps up as well. I can tell he’s trying to hide his pain. Koujaku pulls out the long sword from the scabbard upon his back and the atmosphere in the entire room changes.

This again… Koujaku’s acting strange.

He throws off the scabbard before gripping the sword with both hands. His brow furrowing into a deep wrinkle and he appears terrifyingly hostile.

“If I get you, Aoba-kun, you’ll be my second… No, another one of my most wonderful masterpieces.” Ryuuhou went on without a reaction to Koujaku’s stance.

“Draw your weapon!” Koujaku yelled, “I won’t let you lay a finger on him!”

Ryuuhou only smiled and waved a finger in a disapproving way, “You shouldn’t be too angry now. Do you remember what I told you?”

“Shut the hell up!” Koujaku roars, and the air shudders.

…I need to stop him. I can see him turning into a body of pure rage. The idea of him being consumed in it… I need to stop it before it happens. “Kouja--”

“Aoba-san…”

Mink, Clear, and I turn around, suddenly faced with the members of Beni-Shigure and Scratch both. One of the Beni-Shigure guys grabs my shoulders. When I look at his face, I feel a sense of discomfort.

…His eyes are dull. They’re empty. Expressionless, like a doll’s. I know these eyes. I’ve seen them before. When Mizuki was being controlled…

“You shouldn’t stop Koujaku-san.” It was Kou. He come up on the other side of me and grabs my other arm.

“What are you saying… then he’ll--!” I try to struggle with no avail.

“This is what Koujaku-san wants. Stopping him would be tasteless. That is the only thing I cannot let you do, Aoba-san.” Now I recognized the first guy as Hagima, “Watch them until the end… Together, with us.”

This is what Koujaku wants? For us to watch them until the end?

…No!

If I do that, then…!

“Let me go!” I yell and struggle again. Nearby I can hear Clear and Mink also fighting off guys trying to grab them. The grip on my shoulders loosens, but then other members come over to hold my body down even more. There’s so many…!

“Urk… Koujaku!” I look over to Koujaku, wondering if he even hears me. I can only see traces of his original self left in his eyes. “…What are you guys doing?”

“Shall I tell you something interesting?” Ryuuhou points to me and the other members. “Do you see their necks? Look at the thin wounds. They’re on Aoba-kun too.”

Without thinking, I look towards the neck of one of the members. There are deep traces of needle marks. Those are on my neck as well…?

“Fucker, what did you do to my members and Aoba?!”

Ryuuhou casually smiles, “You know, when I saw Aoba-kun loitering around the front of the club entrance, it was love at first sight. So on a passionate impulse, I pricked him; a sort of mind altering drug. I wanted to see how he’d respond, how he’d come undone. But you interrupted half way. I knew you had come here, so I had to make a more solid plan. How I’d get Aoba-kun and how I could quickly stir you up so you could grow out your tattoo a bit.” Ryuuhou’s smile got bigger, “It worked out with your petty comrades being dropped right at my feet.”

“You…”

“Yes. Don’t you know my needle well? My ever so strictly diligent needle penetrates their bodies, and changes their hearts… With that, just one little prick is enough.” Ryuuhou puts on a happy smile, and claps once. A member holding me down pulls me up by the arms. “Whether or not Aoba-kun and these others live or die has been in our hands even more than ever now.

“Bastard, I’ll never forgive you…! I’ll beat you to death, right here, right now!” Koujaku growls, raising his sword higher, tail rigid.

“Ahah. You really did forget what I told you. When that tattoo was put on you, you were just a child; luckily you’ve come back. I’m pretty sure I told you to be careful when you became an adult, murderer.”

Koujaku’s whole body shakes as he roars. It’s like his entire body is swelling up. I thought it was an illusion… But it isn’t. All of the muscles on Koujaku’s body grow tense and another roar bursts from his now bare chest. On his now naked upper body, the tattoo on his back is in clear view. When I look… I tremble.

On the left half of his upper body, three peonies should’ve been falling… But it’s now completely changed. His exposed skin changes into a deep red, into different patterns and shapes. As if the tattoo is alive…

I see nothing left in Koujaku’s eyes as he takes rough breaths. All that’s left is hatred and anger. “Koujaku!!” I desperately call out to him, but it doesn’t reach his ears.

“Hoh… This is quite a sight.” Ryuuhou stares lovingly at Koujaku’s transformation and a grin spans across his entire face. “Your tattoo was a one-time experiment. It wasn’t formally called one… It was a request, from Toue. Tattoos are parts of people, a sort of seal. You’re stuck with them until the end. Toue was looking for a way to control people. He must’ve heard a rumor about me, since he proposed an idea to me. That it’d be possible to control people from a tattoo. I thought it was an interesting idea. He piqued my interest. And I chose you, Koujaku, to be the subject.

“That tattoo wonderfully eats away at your mind, I can already see it taking over. I gave you warnings to never lose control over yourself, but you’re such an idiot. It’s been growing inside of you because you hadn’t yet matured, neither had your tattoo. So you could revert back after a fit of anger. But now that you’re an adult, the tattoo has matured. It absorbs your anger, and finally eats away at you until there’s nothing left.

“That’s when you two finally unify. When the real flower blooms, it feeds on your vitality and then it burns it all off, it’ll become a lovely flower.” Ryuuhou looks extremely happy, and with a twisted grin, he opens up his arms.

“Soon I’ll have no more regrets. As a result of your sense and my persistence clashing, I’m the winner here… Now, in exchange. Take away my spirit.”

“…Ryuuhouuuuuuuuuu!!!” Bellows Koujaku.

“No, Koujaku, stop!!” My voice won’t reach him…

Koujaku takes his blade and aims it at Ryuuhou. “Koujaku!!” An awful sound reverberates throughout the room. The sword in Koujaku’s hands pierces through the kitsune’s body. The tip of the sword pokes through Ryuuhou’s back and blood drips from it, trickling down onto the floor.

Blood flows from Ryuuhou’s mouth as he slouches over. But he’s still smiling. “…Haha… To be killed-- by my-- best creation… I’ve used up-- my luck as-- a tattoo artist…!” A larger amount of blood drizzles out of Ryuuhou’s giant grin. He looks down and slumps further.

Koujaku mercilessly pulls out his blade. Even more blood darkens Ryuuhou’s kimono and he tumbles to the floor. A pool of the blood collecting under his body.

…I wasn’t able to stop him. Nothing can come out of hatred. Weren’t you one of the best people to know that? “Why did you do that, Koujaku…!”

Suddenly, the Beni-Shigure guys holding me down collapse. Scratch members too collapsed on the spot. I lean over and put a finger to one of their napes.

…He has a pulse. They only fainted then. But what’s the meaning of this? It’s like they’re dolls whose strings were just cut off. “Without Ryuuhou… They…” Clear looked around before turning sharply toward me, “Master!”

I’m attacked by a sudden feeling of drowsiness and lose all strength in my legs. I can’t believe I’d be drowsy now of all times…

As Clear supports me from falling over, I put a hand to my now blazing hot neck and feel a place on it swelling up like a bug bite. This must be what Ryuuhou meant earlier…

I feel so sleepy…

But Koujaku’s still…

I shake off the drowsiness and somehow find the strength to stand on my own. But then… I freeze at the sight before me. Koujaku stands there holding his blade as it drips with blood, completely without a trace of his former self. “Koujaku?”

Koujaku says nothing as if he doesn’t recognize me. Suddenly with a roar, Koujaku swings his blade and begins to run towards me. I fumble trying to get away before something pushes me down and a loud sound rang through the room of metal on metal followed with cracking. Clear had thrown his damaged arm in the way of the blow, his face warping as his knees buckled. “Clear! Koujaku, stop!”

Koujaku grips his sword, once again blazing forward. Clear stiffens for another hit but I grab him, throwing myself and him to the floor. The blade cuts nothing but air yet I also hear different sound of impact and look up to see Koujaku flying away from a punch Mink threw at him. Yet Koujaku gets back up unfazed.

“—Koujaku! Get yourself together!” I yell at him. He only growls back, the ominous tattoo coiling around Koujaku’s back now spans all the way to his face.

How should I stop Koujaku?

What do I do…?

_Destroy. Destroy._

_That is the only way._

_The only way to stop him._

_Before he destroys you. You must destroy him._

_With Scrap._

_There is no other way._

“…No…” If I use Scrap, then Koujaku will end up like Mizuki… If I had just faced Mizuki, I might’ve been able to save him. Then, could I really save Koujaku too…?

There’s no time to hesitate. I can’t think of any other way. I look straight into Koujaku’s eyes. I don’t even wonder if this will work or not. I have no time to. I’ll definitely… save Koujaku. “…Koujaku!!”

While he charges at Mink with his blade overhead… I jump Koujaku from the side.

_Destroy, Destroy._

I ignore my unrelenting headaches, and concentrate onto Koujaku’s lifeless, pure white eyes. _“…Koujaku… I’m going… inside of you…!!”_


	24. Past Sins

I feel like my body is being pulled down…

When I open my eyes, I find myself standing in a gloomy room. And… a sliding door? The floor is also tatami. On a table are some long candles with flames swaying gently. The scent of the burning candles mix with the faint smell of sandlewood.

Is this… inside Koujaku’s heart?

This must be from when he was off the island. I reach out to open the sliding door in front of me when I suddenly hear the crying of a woman. Is she on the other side of this door? I feel a little nervous gently sliding the door open but on the other side is the exact same room I was in.

When I go inside the room, I feel something slithering up to my knee and I look down upon something like… a bundle of black hair… entwining itself around my leg.

The bundle grows larger and larger and continues to creep up my body. “Wha-What is this?!” In a panic I tear the hair off and then bolt to the door across the room. I can hear the sound of it slithering after me. Ahead though I hear both the weeping woman and now Koujaku as well. “Shit!” Reaching the door, I violently jerk it open to reveal the same room again.

“What is up with this place?!”

I run over frantically and open another door. It’s the same room again. I run ahead anyway and open the next door. Again the same room. And again. And again. How long will this go on for?! No matter how many doors I open it’s the same thing. No matter how fast I run the black mass behind me is still pursuing. Just when I think to give up, something urges me to run to the next door and finally I entered a room with a change of atmosphere. I quickly turn my head around to make sure the hair isn’t still after me.

It just disappeared without a trace. And the door on the other end that I went through closed and locked at some point. Is it okay now…?

I let out a small sigh and look around the new room.

The entire room is colored red, and someone is lying face down on a futon. He seems to be wearing a lowered kimono with his back bare. He looks frail and young too; A kid? The flickering candles illuminate warm colors onto his back, yet it felt more ominous as he appears to be shaking.

Wait… The red isn’t because of the candles. That’s…

Not only is his back red, but so is the futon he’s lying on. This voice… Then, the person lying on this futon is… “Koujaku?” I just notice then that in trying to keep his voice down he’s biting into his arm to the point blood pooled from under his teeth and trickled down to the futon.

When I come closer, the bundle of black that I thought had disappeared bursts out of the shadows. I stand guard without thinking but it goes past my ankles. It swarms Koujaku and coils around him like a cocoon. “Koujaku!”

I can hear the sound of something like water splashing… and suddenly blood scatters across the room, some getting onto me. Behind the door on the other side of the room is a noisy, rattling silhouette moving around. I hear a shriek and an angry roar. More blood splashes around on the door frame, smearing everywhere. This… What kind of memory is this?

What happened to Koujaku when he left the island?

I hear something moving about, and the sliding door silently opens to the image of a lifeless inumimi woman. She’s wearing a nightgown and standing still, dyed red from head to toe; She weakly moves over to the black cocoon surrounding Koujaku on the futon before she falls to the tatami floor with her arms out, as if trying to grab at something. Her small fingertips tremble, “…u-ja…ku.”

….This woman. She’s Koujaku’s mother. I didn’t notice because she looked so worn out…

As if to respond to his mother, I hear Koujaku moan from inside the cocoon. When I try to walk up to the cocoon, a sharp pain runs through my back. My knees fall to the mat.

My back! It feels like it is being burned! The pain runs through my entire body and I begin to sweat. Is this the pain Koujaku felt when he was getting his tattoo…?

I can still hear Koujaku. I need to go. I need to go to him…! “Ungh… Koujaku!” I cry and stand up to the pain in my back with a stumble. Soon I drop again, this time closer to the cocoon and I tear at it with both hands. “Ouch! Damn it!” The mass cuts into my hands like small sharp blades but the more I tear at it, it starts to burn away like paper.

I start to see Koujaku’s back.

“Koujaku… wake up!” I reach my hand out to the bloodied back lying in front of me and when my fingertips touch him, the blood covering his back peels off, collecting together like jelly before it grows to the size of a person yet takes the shape of a menacing fox. I recognize the glint in those slanted eyes.

…Ryuuhou.

Even as an animal I can see his twisted smile upon its face just before it lunges at me. I jump back barely but as it comes at me again, I can only raise my arm up in defense and feel its sharp teeth plunge in. “Augh!”

This tattoo. This back. This spirit.

Just like he said.

“…No. Koujaku… isn’t something you own… Let go of Koujaku. Release him!” I yell and deliver a blow to the clot of blood. It bursts open and a sea of blood comes down on me. I pay it no mind and move back to Koujaku, trying to wake him up.

“Koujaku!” …Suddenly, my vision goes white. Even when I close my eyes, the bright light is still just as painful.

“By the time you got here… it was already too late.” I hear Koujaku’s voice all around me. The light fades away and images start to reflect in my head. It slowly turns into something like a silent movie.

By a large mansion, I see a young Koujaku being led by the hand by his mother and a man that looks like a yakuza boss. And standing next to them… is a younger Ryuuhou. The images change to the room with the futon and glowing candles. Sprawled on the futon is Koujaku with Ryuuhou etching in his tattoo.

Koujaku’s tattoo is warped and he claws at the tatami mat while biting hard into his arm. He must be trying to endure the pain.

As the view goes black, another display appears.

A mass of people are lying on the floor and only one person, Koujaku, holding a blade, stands. Koujaku is covered with wounds and blood.

“That was the day the tattoo was completed.” Again came Koujaku’s voice from nowhere, “The pain from the needles grew stronger and stronger. I couldn’t take it anymore and lost consciousness. So when I woke up… all I could see was a sea of blood. The whole family was on the ground and I had not a clue what had just happened. The thing I couldn’t believe… was that my mother was also there. I looked at my hands, and then my sword; it was all covered in blood. I had gone into a rage and hurt everyone. Even though I was only some kid with a blade.

“Everyone there was covered in wounds and barely holding on, my mother too but… My mother lost consciousness and never woke up. She died… and it was my fault. I killed her.”

I return to the Japanese-style room and Koujaku is standing in front of me. He looks so miserable with ears drooping and tail tucked… “Koujaku…”

“I thought it was a lie when I came back. That it was all a bad dream. But it wasn’t. When I realized that, that’s when I really went insane.” Koujaku closes his eyes and lowers his head, “I thought I’d go mad. That I should die too. That it’d be better if I did. I didn’t think I deserved to live anymore for killing my mother… So… I tried to kill myself with that same sword. I thought that was the right thing to do. That’s what I thought… But I couldn’t do it.” Suddenly he looks back up to me, “For some reason, I thought of you.”

Koujaku’s face warps, as if trying to endure pain. “The thought of your smile from when we were kids made me start to cry. It was bitterly painful… I hated it, it hurt, but I couldn’t help it. Even though I honestly wanted to die… I wanted to live just as much. I didn’t know what to do… In the end, I went back to the island. Without being able to die… I just had to see you again.” A sad smile forms and his eyes glaze over, not really focusing on me anymore, “I thought something would change if I saw you, that it’d be easier. When we reunited, I was astonished at how you grew up, but your smile never changed… So I thought I’d be fine after all. If I was here with you on the island, I could wash away the memories of my past. But it was impossible. As much as I wished for peace, I would suddenly remember. That day splattered in blood.”

I reach toward Koujaku but the glaze in his eye changes to rage, “And to top it off, Ryuuhou showed up again. The moment I saw that sneering bastard I knew I’d kill him and then myself, as I already decided that I’d go to hell anyway and my wish to kill Ryuuhou was fulfilled. But my past couldn’t change and this tattoo on my back will never disappear either.” The glaze returns as Koujaku hangs his head low and a clump of black begins to coil up his legs.

This was Koujaku’s real past, the part that he left out when we met again.

…No, more of that he couldn’t say it.

How would you explain this kind of past? How would the other person react? Of course I’d worry since Koujaku and I have such a deep relationship.

Koujaku looks at me like he’s given up on everything.

The black mass crawls up his arms, reaching his stomach and Koujaku just… accepts it eating at him.

Koujaku hurt people and lost his mother… But this isn’t actually his fault. It’s the fault of the conspiracy between Ryuuhou and Toue with that tattoo. Even if I told that to Koujaku, he’d still never stop blaming himself. You can’t change what you’ve done.

…But. I don’t want to lose Koujaku. He is still caged by Ryuuhou, his tattoo, his memories. His wounds are too deep…

He sheds blood even now and Koujaku can’t handle it alone. If I leave him alone, it’ll swallow him whole.

_Destroy him._

…All I can do with Scrap is ‘Destroy’.

So I’ll do just that. I’ll destroy the wounds entrapping Koujaku.

I walk up to Koujaku and grab his shoulders with both of my hands. He slowly raises his head and looks at me with pitiful eyes. “ _Koujaku…_ ”

 

Koujaku strained to open his eyes after a sudden flash of white. He was back in the tower? “…I…What happened?” He looked around before noticing someone in the room with him, “Aoba! What… Were we saved?” He looks around again. What happened to the others? When Koujaku turns back to Aoba he finds the other just smiling at him which left him to simply assume everything was okay. It was really over.

“You got into some trouble… Sorry ‘bout that, Aoba.”

“That’s fine.” Aoba whispered.

Koujaku shook his head, “No, really. If you weren’t there, I might’ve died a long time ago, you know. The only thing that connects me to this world is you, Aoba. Really, thank you. I owe you one.”

“Yeah… Koujaku.” Aoba’s smile warms as he approaches. Koujaku feels a brow raise before he’s suddenly wrapped in Aoba’s arms, “Eh? H-hey, Aoba? You—What are… Whoa!” Caught off guard, Koujaku had tried to step back but instead the two tumbled to the ground and Koujaku barely made sure that Aoba landed on him instead of vise versa. “Ouch. Are you okay? What’re you clinging onto me for?”

“…That’s fine.”

“Huh? What is? …Aoba?”

“…Koujaku. You don’t have to worry about anything. I understand everything. I know. So…” Aoba leaned in closer and Koujaku felt his heart start to race. What’s going on? “Is that… so.” The next thing he knew, Aoba eased his way between his legs and turned himself so his back pressed to his chest. Koujaku found himself simply wrapping his arms around Aoba in response.

“It’s weird,” Koujaku laughed, “I feel so at ease with you. I’m really calm. It’s like everything before this was a lie.”

“Yeah.”

“…Aoba. Uh, it might sound weird… but can I… kiss you?” The request just slipped and Koujaku was about to quickly apologize until Aoba turned his head with that same warm smile present. “That’s fine.” He said then tilted his head to meet his lips with Koujaku’s. Koujaku was stunned and he stared at Aoba even as the usagimimi pulled out of the kiss, “…Aoba.”

“That’s fine.”

Koujaku thought to test another request. But then he noticed Aoba’s mouth was moving, silently repeating the same phrase over and over. That’s fine.

“Is it really okay?” Koujaku asked uneasily.

“…That’s fine.” Aoba repeated again out loud.

“…Is it?”

“That’s fine.”

“No, that’s not it… Aoba.” Koujaku tried to unfold his arms, yet Aoba grabbed and held them in place, repeating the phrase yet again and again. “No… No! I, about you… But… This isn’t what I--”

_Do not give in!_

What?

“That’s fine.” Aoba murmured while turning himself around and cupping Koujaku’s face to make him look at him again. “N-no…! Stop it, Aoba!”

“That’s fine.”

_Koujaku! Do not give in!!_

Something sounded like a fist pounding on a wall. Ripping his gaze away from the blissful face of his friend, Koujaku sought the source of this pounding until he spotted a figure standing behind what appeared like an invisible wall, continuously pounding against it.

Aoba?!

_“Do not give in, Koujaku!”_ The Aoba behind the wall yelled, his voice muffled just like if he was standing in another room.

“Koujaku…”

Koujaku’s head was forced back around to the Aoba he’d been talking to only now all the color in his features had drained away, literally. His hair, his skin, his eyes. It was all white as the room they sat in. “That’s fine… really.” He murmured and leaned in again.

Instead of allowing it, this time Koujaku pushed Aoba away and stood up. He went straight to the invisible wall, “Aoba?!”

“ _You can’t stay here._ ” Aoba insisted. “ _There are things you need to face. You understand that, don’t you?_ ”

Koujaku opened his mouth then shut it, looking away hesitantly.

“ _I’ll be with you. Let’s go back, Koujaku. Let’s set it right._ ”

“….Aoba.”

 

…The fake world, the one Koujaku tried running away to, shattered and we were back in the room of the ‘Past’.

Koujaku stands there, with the black mass still slithering up his neck. I take a deep breath and look at Koujaku’s sad eyes. “…You know by now, don’t you? No matter how much you try to forget or run away from it, you can’t change the fact that it happened. You hurt a lot of people, including your mother… You can’t erase that fact.”

“Don’t…” Koujaku’s face collapses and he turns his head away.

“I won’t. But I will tell you, you didn’t want… to commit a sin.”

“…I know. It’s unforgivable to let a person like me keep living.”

My chest clenched at his words, “Your death is one way to pay that debt. But your death won’t bring anything. Not for your sins, not for anything. You’re just unleashing your misery. Is that… really okay?”

Koujaku doesn’t answer which gives me some hope that he’s listening. “Is it okay for you to just run away like that?”

“…I’m going to run.”

My hands tighten into fists, wanting to punch some sense into Koujaku but I keep myself together. For his sake. “Yeah. That may be good for you, but what about your team?”

“My team… They’ll be fine. They’ll find a new Head without me there.”

“Then what about me?” My voice cracks, “What will happen to me?”

Koujaku’s eyes meet mine, “You…”

“Don’t say I’ll be fine without you. Don’t put words in my mouth because I won’t be. The same with the team. You don’t think strongly of others much. It’ll be painful with you gone, hearts will be broken. But you’re insisting that they’ll be fine, even though you’re hurting them? Even if the wounds heal, it’ll never be the same. It’s not like it’s just their body.

“Isn’t it the same for you? You came to the island to heal your wounds, but you lost yourself when you saw Ryuuhou again. Don’t make me have to go through something like that…”

Koujaku frowns deeply, “Then what should I do?” He demanded yet his voice was laced with his pain.

I felt the tears in my eyes but I stayed steady, “There’s only one other option. You think you’re losing control because of that tattoo. But the one doing it is actually you. That’s a fact. So you have to live your life with that tattoo. As yourself, Koujaku… But I have to tell you something that has to do with you.”

Koujaku hangs his head, trying to hold himself together. I notice the menacing mass at the base of his neck is actually growing weaker.

“No matter what you did, or what you’re burdened with, the Koujaku I know will never change. If you lose sight of yourself, I’ll tell you over and over what the real Koujaku is like. I’ll tell you that I always believed in him. That’s why you shouldn’t give in, Koujaku. Don’t give in to your past, or your tattoo.”

The despair in Koujaku’s face disappears and it begins to glow. The black mass crumbles and peels off into nothing.

“Koujaku, I’m going to destroy the past and the you who’s holding you back… I’m going to destroy them both.” The moment I say that, there’s a sound like glass cracking. Then the whole room gains cracks, even Koujaku does, before like a punched out mirror the glass shatters and I feel myself falling.

 

…We’re back. To the real world.

My head, hurts…

My vision is spinning. I feel like I’m going to vomit. My body feels so heavy that I can’t get up.

_You’re already finished._

_This is your end._

…Someone’s voice, the one that keeps telling me to ‘Destroy’, whose voice is that…?

“Aoba!”

Someone shakes me awake and I open my eyes, and I can see a blurry version of Koujaku’s worried face. Those eyes… those are the eyes of the childhood friend I know. I’m glad… That he came back…

“Thank goodness… Master.” Clear’s voice came faintly. He sat beside me holding onto his damaged arm while trying to not look so pained. I couldn’t see where Mink was at while I let Koujaku help me sit up.

As I did, I could hear collective groans in the room signaling that the others were waking up as well. “Aoba.” A bundle of fur settled itself on my lap. Ren…

I look around the room but quickly look away when I see Ryuuhou’s limp body laying in a pool of blood. It’s not something I wished to see… But it was over.


	25. Hijacked

After making sure everyone was alright, and doing our best to ignore Ryuuhou, Mink then ordered his guys out to resume a plan he refuses to elaborate on. Even so, Koujaku decided to order the Beni-Shigure guys to go along with Scratch. Mink wasn’t too happy with that, warning them to not get in the way.

There wasn’t time to be arguing though. My head was pounding enough without that.

I go through another door at a different end of the room with Clear, Koujaku, and Mink and a long hallway opens up before us. A little ways off, I can hear the sound of footsteps. Most likely some patrolling guards.

Carefully we walk around, staying very wary of the unfamiliar environment, and come across an elevator. There are two security guards standing in front of it. I immediately turn into another hall with the others, though Koujaku seems to be lagging even slower than Clear. “Koujaku--”

Koujaku quickly waves off my concern, “I’m good.”

…We need to keep going, that’s true. Leaning around the corner, I start to analyze the situation. It doesn’t look like there’s anything to hide behind by the elevator.

We could probably still get away with a surprise attack… What to do…

“Hey, what are you doing over there?”

I turn around to find a guard standing there in the hallway. Fuck…! He must’ve come out from one of the rooms in the hallway. One of the guards by the elevator must’ve heard the other’s voice too as I hear someone approaching.

“Don’t move!” The first guard points a gun at us.

At that moment, an elegant looking man and woman come out from the open elevator door. Guests? When the man notices the guard, he comes to a stop looking a little puzzled.

…Now!

I dashed out from the hallway corner, aiming for the elevator.

“Hey wa--” The guard didn’t even finish. Either Koujaku or Mink took him out but I didn’t look back to look. The flustered guards by the elevator ran right at us while the frightened couple ran away.

A blur of white goes past me. And the two guards are knocked out of the way while Clear stands in the elevator, waving at us to hurry up. Mink gets in next, then Koujaku, without slowing down, I just barely… Slide through the gap between the closing elevator doors.

“Wait!”

“Get away, damn it!” I kicked away the guard that tried to slide in with me and pulled back my leg before it almost got stuck in the door, “Whew… Barely made it.”

Before the doors can completely close, one guard sticks his hand in, trying to pry them apart. Oh shit…! Wait! I take out the stun gun in my bag and stick it on the guard’s hand. The guard snaps back. Thank you Haga-san!

Ren suddenly jumps out of my bag and hits a button on the panel with a paw. Before the guards can do anything, the door quietly shuts. A small shudder later the elevator starts to ascend. “…That was close.” I breathe and lean against the back of the elevator. “Really, I was worried we wouldn’t make it.” Sighed Clear in that familiar whiny voice of his. It was enough to bring a smile.

“Ha… ouch.”

“Aoba? You alright?”

I wave off Koujaku before rubbing my shoulder. I must’ve hurt it when I slid on the floor to get in here. A shadow comes over me however and I barely look up as Mink leans to hit another button on the elevator. Ah… Ren hit a button that would only take us a couple floors up.

Speaking of, I move over to Ren, “Nice one Ren, as usual.” He deserves praise none the less for the quick thinking!

“Don’t act like I’m heartless, even though I don’t exactly have a heart.”

“But that just did the trick. It’s all thanks to you.”

“Master’s right Ren-san. You really saved us back there!” Clear piped in with a pained smile. “Don’t be reckless.” Ren sighs. “I wonder if we can stick to the ceiling like in the movies.” I don’t know what’s suddenly got me in such a goofy mood. Maybe an adrenaline rush?

“We’d have to come up with a plan to make that a possibility.” Ren responds and Koujaku clears his throat uneasily, like trying to hold back a laugh, “I rather not test that theory. What, with it being so cramped in here and all.”

“True… Hm?” I pick up Ren to put him back into my bag, but stop midway, “Ren. What is this?” Something glistened in front of Ren’s eye, like drops of water. “There’s something around your eye.” When my hand reaches for it, he turns his head. “Ren? Look at me. What’s wrong?”

The memory of when Ren stopped me from touching his forehead suddenly returns to me. He never seemed to get any worse after that. Noiz even removed a worm from him so… “Hey, Ren. Look me in the eye.”

“You don’t have time to waste on trivial matters right now, do you?”

“Trivial… matters…?”

“Yes. It’s a trivial matter. From now on, you can’t make something like this a priority.” Ren’s voice somehow turns lower than normal, like he’s almost mumbling. “What are you saying?” My mind is reeling at his words. Without caring that he wouldn’t look at me, I moved my face closer to his. “I’ve told you this over and over. If you’re not working, that’d be a really bad thing.”

“I will put in as much effort as I can to not be a burden to you.”

“Oi, Ren…”

“Ren-san…”

“That’s not what I meant!” I snap. But Ren just keeps going, “If I cannot function as an Allmate, I’ll just be garbage. And so I don’t--”

“Stop that! What the hell? What are you saying?!”

“If I become inefficient, I will just be trouble for you, Aoba.”

I shake my head frantically, “That’s not true. I’m not saying that! I’m genuinely concerned about you!”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“I never said anything like that! Ren, listen to me!”

“Please don’t mind me.”

“You… Enough with that!” My voice has risen, it being much more noticeable in this small space of the elevator. “What’s happened to you? Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”

With a light shake, the elevator came to a stop. Right as the doors open, Ren violently scrambles his way out of my arms. He disappears through the gap in seconds. I call after him while rushing out after him and I run into a woman, quickly apologizing to her.

I realize that she’s dressed up quite nicely and come to the conclusion that a party must be taking place. “Ren!” I knew I looked terribly out of place, but I bolted into the hall to go after Ren.

Inside are many fancy looking people, holding glasses and plates while making small talk. Some took a quick glance at me but then went right back to talking to one another. If anyone calls security, I’m screwed. I just keep looking for Ren without stopping for a second.

Where the hell did he go?

If I don’t find him soon…

Huh? Just now that…

My eyes follow the back of a person in the crowd. Is that… Me? A violent headache suddenly comes over me and my world starts to shake. My vision blurs with the numerous after-images that flash under my eyelids. Noises repeat over and over like a broken record inside of my ears and soon all sound fades out. My head pounded along with my heart.

My legs are strangely heavy. They won’t move. What’s… happening…?

“Is he that precious?” Suddenly, a voice reaches my ears. “He is, isn’t he? I would know, of course. Then, have you ever thought about why he is so precious to you?”

Who is this? I don’t see him, but I can hear him. The pound in my head… It keeps getting worse.

“You really do know, don’t you? After all, you…”

“…Shut up.”

“But you’ve already decided. You should just keep pressing on like that, as much as you desire, until you’re satisfied. No one can stop you. No one can stop the real you.”

“Shut up!!” I scream to try to erase the voice, and the guests in the hall look at me. They’re smiling. Warped faces, looking right at me… smiling. And then, the stalled sounds begin to gush in. The slow motion world and the heaviness in my legs went away. Right now, that…

What just happened…?

 “Hey, that’s him!” The security guards come into the hall. I can’t let myself get caught before I find Ren. I push my way through the confused crowd, watching my footsteps. The further in I went, the more the crowd opened up. There, I see a lump of fur pass by. “Ren!”

But before I can get any closer to him, a wall of police wait for me on the other side. “That damn dog is quick!” The guard kicks at Ren as he was trying to escape and his small body tumbles to the ground. “Ren!!” I immediately rush up to him and hold him. The guards surround me and point their guns. “Wait. The order is to capture him alive. Don’t shoot.” When one guard says that, the others move to restrain me instead.

“Let go of me!” I try to protect Ren by holding him to my chest, trying to keep myself on the floor. Let go…! Ren…! And then, suddenly, a ripping pain ran through my head. It’s tearing apart…

 

“…Don’t touch me.” A cool voice cut through the fighting. “What?” A guard looks down at the man they’d been trying to arrest. “Don’t touch me, let go.” He repeats. The compulsion to follow this demand overwhelmed the guard, “Y-yes s--”

“Hey!” Another guard stares bewildered at his comrade until, “You, you’re in the way too.”

“…Yes.” Without really understanding it, he does as told moving out of the way and the usagimimi stands up, “Listen. Everyone here will forget about me.” The words were spoken so calmly, so smoothly, and numerous confirmations sounded in the hall before the thuds of bodies hitting the floor.

 

…I know this by now.

It’s that dream again. The one where I can’t move. Where my body is eaten. Even now… It’s still being eaten. There’s nothing below my right elbow. There’s nothing below my left knee. And now the lower part of my left elbow… What’s left below my right knee is being eaten. In this complete and utter darkness…

But there’s no pain. Just shock. In the sound of crunching, the blackness completely devours my arms and legs. Gone forever. And then next… My chest began to swell up as the darkness eats away at my torso. With an impulse, I want to destroy.

Like how this darkness eats away at me.

Anything, everything.

I want to destroy. I want to destroy.

I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy.

That is my true wish. My true wish?

My… true…

I want to destroy.

I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy. I want to destroy.

_I want to destroy._

My eyes snap open. Did I… fall asleep? That was a really bad dream though. My heart is still pounding. And I’m completely drenched in sweat.

I want to destroy.

Those words suddenly surface in my mind. I want to destroy something? But what? My head hurts. I need to take my meds… Eh?

…I finally register what is going on.

All of the extravagant guests in the hall… they’ve all collapsed onto the ground. “…Why… What?” I can’t find any words to describe this bizarre display. I know I went in here looking for Ren, and then… My memories flicker along with my pounding headache.

But I can only remember it vaguely, like it was only a dream. I look around before noticing a small bundle of fur a little farther off. “Ren!” Forgetting about my headache, I snatch up his limp body, “Hey! Ren! Are you okay?! Ren!” I try to start Ren up. But it doesn’t work.

No matter how many times I try, his eyes won’t open. “…This can’t be real.” Maybe this is just cause of his weird condition.

…I push away my emotions and put Ren into my bag. Now I have an even more urgent reason to find a way to fix Ren, but staying around here is dangerous. Right now, I need to find a way to meet back up with the others. We must have separated when I ran out after Ren.

I look for a safe place to go and head towards a door inside the hall. Behind it is a staircase. I began to trek up, wary for any guards going after me.

My headache… feels even worse while going up the stairs. But somehow I keep my feet moving. Not good. It’s terrible. I feel faint. When I made it to the stair landing, I leaned against a wall and sat down.

Vehemently going through my bag, I take out my headache medicine. I just wanted to soften the pain, so I popped a few pills into my mouth. Streams of sweat run down my temple to my chin. I had to wait for the medicine to kick in. I start to breathe hard while taking Ren out from my bag and put him on my thigh. I try to start him up again, but his small body still won’t move. My chest hurts as I look at him. What happened to him…?

Wait… That USB Mink gave me. Did it… Did it do this?!

I open up the control panel on my Coil to see Ren’s status. The entire panel was covered in error messages. In short, he couldn’t operate at all. I mess around on the panel to possibly fix the issue with a tap. But it’s no good. Too exhausted for words, I closed the control panel and held Ren.

He was just like a toy with his eyes closed like this. The regret and sadness rushed in as I looked at his husk of a body. I promised I’d fix him if something happened. But what if I can’t return him to normal?

I’ll do as much as I can, but Ren is an old type and his parts are long out of production. My Allmate… no. Ren, my partner, is irreplaceable. I’m losing what I’ve always taken for granted. The reality of it all leaves me hopeless. It’s not that I’ve never thought of what it’d be like without Ren, but reality and my imagination are different things.

It beats down on my how long I’ve been relying on Ren. “What should I do now…?!” When I close my eyes, a face I miss appears. Granny…

_“Never stop, no matter what happens. Just believe in your own choices along the way and keep pushing forward.”_

Believe in your own choices along the way, and keep pushing forward.

…That’s right.

I can’t let myself stop here. There are things I have to do. Stop Toue. And then save Noiz and everyone else. So… No matter how much it hurts, I can’t stay at a standstill.

I put Ren back into my bag and then somehow get myself up. My headache still hasn’t gone down, but I begin to go back up the staircase once more. I need to get higher. Up to Toue. I have no other choice but to go. It’s something… only I can do. Stumbling with my hands against the wall, I went up step by step.

While going up the stairs, I find my journey upwards interrupted by a door. Did I make it to the highest floor…?

When I get closer to the door and notice a monitor I think about turning back until a image popped into my head. A ID card…? I glance at my bag confused. But then I reach in, trying to ignore Ren’s fur brushing against my hand, and after some rummaging I feel a card. It’s a ID card for sure. But when did I…

Another throb of my headache made me drop the question and turn back to the door to see if it would even work. It did and the door opened to a new floor. This had a completely different atmosphere than the party hall.

The gaudiness was gone and in its place was a cold, lightly blue colored hallway. I have to keep moving. Some guards may still be coming after me. I want to keep moving but my headache keeps pounding harder and harder. I can’t think straight.

I took my meds earlier, why aren’t they working…?

I shove my hands into my bag in search of my pills, and when I find them, I immediately hold up the case and pour its contents inside my mouth. A number of them spill out of my mouth onto the floor and the case in my hand becomes empty. It’s a really bad idea to take all of them at once, but…

All I want now is to make the pain stop.

I dropped the empty case into my bag and slowly made my way down the white hallway. Wild breaths escaped from my lips as I pulled myself along with my hand on the wall. It doesn’t feel like the headache is calming down. My vision goes blurry and my throat dries.

If anyone were to find my right now, I’d be in trouble. But… I need to keep pushing forward with all I have. I dragged myself along, and then heard the sound of a door opening. It was a type of door that cuts into the passageway and two men in white robes came out of it.

…Oh shit. I have to hide, or get away somewhere…

“Hey, over there.”

“Who’s he?”

“A trespasser…?”

The two men look at each other then the one with big, round, pink glasses frowns, “Call security. Quickly…”

Shit… I can’t let myself get caught again now…! I’m already this far… All of my efforts would be wasted…!

 

The very air thickened suddenly as the strange blue haired man pushed away from the wall and stood straight, casually slipping his hands into his pockets. “H-hey, what the…” The man with narrowed glasses shuddered while his colleague pointed at the usagimimi, “Don’t move! I’m calling security!”

The trespasser stared them down, “You there, don’t move.”

No sooner had he said that before the duo realized their bodies had gone stiff. “M-my body w-won’t…”

“Don’t get in my way.”

“What the hell are you?!” His colleague yelled while desperately squirming but the only thing that really moved was his head. He too tried again to move but to the same futile effect.

“It’s your unlucky day.” Said the trespasser as a smile formed, “I’ll free you from your ‘life’ now. I’ll break it apart… I’ll smash your memories, senses, everything to bits.”

With that, an unbearable amount of pain started tearing itself through the two men’s minds and their screams were the only sound filling the hallway.

 

“Ah…”

…The white robed men are on the ground. Their eyes are wide open and they’re foaming from the mouth…

They didn’t just collapse for no reason.

…They’ve been broken. I broke them.

I lost consciousness just like before, but this time, I’d seen the whole thing. I had no control over my body and… I watched him… I watched ‘myself’ break them apart. I destroyed their minds. The guests at that party… The guards… ‘I’ did that.

My head hurts. It hurts. Ithurtsithurtsithurts. “It’s all your fault.”

Suddenly I heard a voice. I thought I was hallucinating for a moment. There’s a voice in my head. Someone speaking to me… in my voice. “It’s because you wouldn’t accept it. That’s why all of this is happening.”

Feeling faint, my vision begins to stain black. I can’t see a thing. The ‘me’ speaking is overpowering me through my eardrums. “It’s your fault. Your fault. It’s all your fault.”

…Shut up.

“It’s your fault.”

Shut up.

“It’s your fault.”

Shut up, shut up.

“It’s your fault.”

“SHUT UP!” I slap my hands over my ears but I still hear my own voice’s laughter ring through them. “You… Who are you?”

“I’m you. Haven’t I helped you countless times? I’m the only reason why you’ve gotten this far, and it’s still the same now. So I guess around now would be an okay time for me to become you.”

“…Don’t fuck with me. I’m me!”

“Hah. But you don’t even know what you really are. Can you even explain what’s happening to you? You think you don’t know who you are, right? Wrong. The truth is that you do know. But you won’t accept it. Failing to accept it, you stay there, not knowing a thing. Unable to do anything. Ending everything halfway. But… I know. I know more than anyone. Because I’m you. So we’ll switch.”

_I’ll switch with you._

“I will live in your place, knowing everything.”

_So switch with me._

With a violent shake of my head, I slap my ears with my hands and grit my teeth, “Shut up.”

“Switch.”

“Shut up.”

“Switch with me.”

“Shut up… Shut up!!”

“Switch. Switch with me.”

“Shut up, be quiet! Disappear! Disappear! …Disappear!!!”

Suddenly, my vision clears and I fall to the ground gasping for breath. What happened just now… What was that…? A dream?

…No. It wasn’t a dream.

The two men lying on the floor in front of me is in this state because of me. My body had been hijacked but… That’s no excuse. The one who broke these men was me.


	26. Two of a Kind

Lately, whenever I use Scrap, I always get a headache afterward. And he must be the cause of it. His movements may have been what influenced my headaches.

Two personalities… in one body?

What if I had switched with him like he said? I wouldn’t be me, I know that much. I can’t let that happen. If Scrap is a power of his, then it must mean that he can use it as he wishes.

Everyone would be broken apart.

But… His words pierce my chest like thorns. He knows, and deep down I know too… But I can’t let myself use Scrap anymore. He may hijack my body again.

My headache passes, and I walk through the door that the white-robed men had exited from. Behind the door was another hallway eventually leading to another door. There’s another confirmation monitor next to it and the guard’s ID won’t open it.

I go back to the white-robed men and borrow a card from around one of their necks. The door opens. Before placing my foot through, before sealing my fate, I hesitate.

The room is dim, lit up by the flickering lights of various machines. It feels eerie. As if eyes are watching me from afar.

There are large water tanks standing all around the room, all with strange things inside them. Several living things twitch in the tanks, and one has a massive clump of hair growing inside of it. Another tank holds something… Something strangely like a person, with a face, arms, and legs similar to what any would have. But it clearly isn’t.

I enter the room with caution, checking to see if anyone else is inside. All of this seems to be research equipment. Why would Toue have all of this? What are these?

I look into the tanks, bewildered, and I soon feel a gaze coming from somewhere inside the room.

…Something with their lower half like a fish’s tail is looking at me. The pure white creature widens its eyes and slams its hands against the glass. It flaps its mouth open and then closed as if trying to speak to me.

“Wha-What…”

The other things in the tanks. It’s either my imagination or they’re staring at me too.

_“…You… really came… I was… waiting… always… Hurry, to me… Destroy me… With your power…”_

The voice came from somewhere yet nowhere. When I tried to leave the room, something hit me. I must have been so distracted to not notice that I was now surrounded by a bunch of figures in black hoodies. “Hey, what-! …Let go…!” I try again to escape, but they catch me and hold me down to the floor. I turn my head and notice a familiar design. Morphine!!

Amidst my rising panic, my ears pick up the sound of casually approaching footsteps.

A security guard? It’s so dim, I can’t see that well.

As the footsteps came closer, I was finally able to see the faces of their owners. When I realized who they were, I… I couldn’t stop my eyes from widening.

“Yo, so you made it all the way in here by yourself. Well, of course, you would, Aoba-san.”

“We’d expect nothing less.”

Virus and Trip. Why were they… Virus tilts his head to the side and flashes me a strange smile, tail flicking like a cat anxious to pounce. “You’re asking yourself why we’re here, aren’t you? That’s what your face says. Shall I tell you? It’s quite simple. The reason is… because we’re part of Morphine.”

“Right?” Trip smirked, his own tail wagging lazily.

…This is a lie, right? They’re Morphine?

“Well, we are part of it, but we don’t do the dirty work like the rest do. We’re more like the leaders.” Virus jerks his chin to the member in the black parka that’s restraining me.

“…You deceived me.” I growl.

Virus shrugged, “We never had any intention of doing so. Although, if that’s what you believe, it still doesn’t change anything.”

“In truth, we truly are your fans, Aoba.” Added Trip. “Well, we’re indifferent.” Virus continued as if Trip didn’t speak or maybe to correct him, “It’s useless to talk this over. More importantly, you’ve gotten into something big. We used to be part of Sei-san’s group.”

“Sei? You mean the person that was with Toue at the event?” Why am I even indulging these two? They lied to me! All this time…

“…Aoba-san. You don’t have any knowledge of what happened once you were born, do you?” Virus grins at my silence, “You don’t. Well, you did make it all the way here, so let’s talk a little. At the end of Toue’s long research initiative, he had finally gotten his hands on the ultimate power… Half of which he gets from Sei-san. You’re the same as Sei-san, something born of Toue Inc.’s research. A child with specific genetic engineering. Sei-san is your older brother. You two are fraternal twins.”

I’m… a child with manipulated genes…? And Sei is… my brother…? My twin…?

“The founder of the theory on your special abilities were based on a product of your grandmother’s research. You two were designed to have the power to control people’s will by nature. But life is a miracle, and the amount of detail and calculations that went into your births were limitless.” Virus folded his arms behind his back casually, unrelenting in this shocking information, “Both of you had no pigment when you were born. Furthermore, yours and Sei-san’s hair was connected with nerves in them. And by bad luck perhaps, you two had died just as you were born.”

We died?! But—

“When Sei-san’s hair was severed from yours, his breathing returned. Yours hadn’t. And so your grandmother took your corpse away. Maybe to give you a proper burial,” Virus shrugged, “But obviously, you must have revived on the way. While your skin gained pigment and you grew up shut in your little world, Sei-san was always here. Despite being away from each other you retained your powers. You with your voice, and Sei-san with his eyes. You can hold people’s hearts captive.”

Virus gestured to me, “Now that you know, is there anything you’d like to ask?”

“…You’re lying.” I spat. He had to be.

“Do you think so?” Virus tilted his head once more with that smile, “It was all pertaining to you and I don’t care much if you don’t think so.”

It’s likely… that Virus’ story is true. He wouldn’t gain anything from making up a story like that. But my mind hasn’t processed it all yet. My heart beats rigorously. “…You two stayed with me all that time, knowing this?”

“That’s incorrect.”

“Incorrect.”

They both reply immediately. “The fact that we’re your fans isn’t a lie.” Virus stated. “You were quite striking as you fought in Rhyme as an entertaining psycho.” Claimed Trip.

“When you used Scrap on an opponent, that’s when we realized what an amazing person you are. So we investigated a little and put it all together. We were surprised to find you were a person who had the same potential that Sei-san did.

“But you weren’t self-aware of it. There was a danger you’d unknowingly go on rampages. It would’ve been troublesome if someone other than us noticed as well. So we made you forget what accidents you’d leave behind after your little brawls. Morphine is an elite force prepared for manipulating human nature. Erasing memory is a trivial thing.

“After all, Toue had Sei-san. So we thought it’d be alright if we kept you our little secret. In the end, Toue found you anyway. Now, would you come with us, Aoba-san? You can see Sei-san as well. Although he doesn’t have much energy to keep on living anymore.”

He just… States that so casually! The fuck was it suppose to mean?! I wriggle to get free, the attempt is futile though. Virus explains that Sei, ever since he was a child, had his consciousness continually analyzed. That because of this, his heart has weakened. He’s been brought to his limit. And it’s why Toue was trying to kidnap granny.

“But the luminescence equipment developed to model Sei-san’s eyes has been completed. So in the worst case, we’ll be alright even if Sei-san is gone.” Virus finished with a definitive nod, “And now we have you as well, Aoba-san.”

Those words… My hair stands up just hearing them. This isn’t funny…!

“So if you have no further questions… we’re very sorry, but we’ll be taking you.”

The men in black hoodies start to pull me along. “Let me go!” I yell.

“Please be obedient.” A slight smile rises to Virus’ face. I stare at it, thinking of how unbelievable this all was. I believed in them. Even as yakuza I thought they were still good people, “…Why are you guys working for someone like Toue…?!”

Virus and Trip blankly exchange glances, “If I were to answer, well… We like interesting and very fun things. That’s all.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s it.” Trip chuckled.

“…That’s not funny. Don’t fuck with me!!” I raise my voice, violently struggling to get my arms free. One of the goons holding me knees me in the gut and I double over in pain. I said I had to stop using it… But I have no choice…

I raise my head, focusing.

Suddenly Trip is in front of me. He punches in the pit of my stomach and I fall to my knees. Someone kicks my back too and I tumble down to the floor. I lift my head again, putting up with nausea, and I see the world filled with people’s glassy eyes. A kick plows into my face and my mouth fills with blood. I curl up to protect myself.

Taking countless hits, my consciousness slowly starts to fade out.

“Is this enough?” I hear Virus ask through a haze of pain. “Maybe.” Answered Trip.

I muster my strength and bring myself up with my shaking arms.

“You really don’t give up. Just as I’d expect of you, Aoba-san.” Virus practically praised and I felt sick at his next words, “We’ll see just how long you can keep holding on.”

Shit…! Is this… really how it ends?

Just as I wonder upon that, I hear the door open.

“Aoba!” A familiar voice dimly reaches my ears.

“Morphine, huh.”

“Master!”

More than one familiar voice. Without the energy to make out what’s going on… I barely hold onto my consciousness long enough to see Virus and Trip running for it before everything goes dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT DEAD
> 
> I just had a shitty series of real life events that kept layering on each other. Plus my interest diverted elsewhere which may turn up here. Maybe. Anyway, no promises on when but i DO want to finish this at some damn point.


End file.
